Que Phong: Pink banana project is not effective
(Baonghean) -In 2011, the Que Phong Mountainous Rural Development Board implemented a model of growing pink bananas in Tong Cang village, Tien Phong commune; after 2 years of implementation, the project did not bring about the expected results.
We went to learn about the pink banana project that was implemented since 2011, with 22 farmer households in Tong Cang, Tien Phong commune, Que Phong district participating. It is known that in the northern provinces, after one year, each hectare of pink banana can yield from 80 to 90 tons of fruit, bringing in an income of 150 to 200 million VND. In Tong Cang, out of the total 22 households that received the project, up to now, only 8 households still have pink bananas but they are not effective.
The family of Mr. Luong Van Phuong in Tong Cang village - Tien Phong is an example. In 2011, he was trained in planting and caring for red bananas, then provided with 150 banana trees and NPK fertilizer. But after a long time, it was found that the bananas were not suitable for the soil, each bunch of bananas only had 5 to 6 bunches, and they could only sell for 60,000 VND, so in 2 years the family only earned 3 million VND, so the family was not very interested in this type of banana. The same goes for Ms. Ha Thi Kim's family. Although they were well cared for, the red bananas in her garden were often infested with stem borers. The bananas broke off in the middle of the tree as soon as they bloomed. Many times they reported to the Project Team Leader, but no one came to give instructions on pest control. Ms. Kim shared: "Since the project was implemented, my family received 120 banana trees to plant. I have built fences and fertilized them, but the bananas grow slowly. In the whole year of 2012, this banana garden only sold for 600,000 VND."
Of the 22 households participating in the project, most are households with large areas of land and labor. However, due to the awareness of the people here still depending on nature, the Tong Cang area has an area of nearly 100 hectares, surrounded by the Nam Viec River, but people still refuse to pump water to irrigate the plants, but only rely on the rain. In addition, some banana-growing households have not fenced their banana trees carefully to allow buffaloes and cows to destroy them. Mr. Nguyen Dinh Kiem - Vice Chairman of Tien Phong Commune People's Committee said: "In fact, there are 22 households participating in the project, but up to this point, after nearly 2 years of implementation, only 7-8 households still have bananas but their income is not high. In the coming time, we are proposing to the superiors to change crops for the people, because the Tong Cang area currently has over 50% poor households.
The above mentioned ineffective banana planting project is a waste that needs to be reviewed by all levels and sectors. Bringing plants and animals to suit natural conditions and arranging households with enough capacity to do it, at the same time having staff to monitor and guide are things that need to be learned from experience.
Van Thanh (Dai Que Phong)