Vetiver root in Quynh Luu increased in price to nearly 50,000 VND/kg

The vetiver grown in Quynh Thang commune, Quynh Luu district is suitable for the soil quality so the tree grows well. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Since the beginning of November, people in Quynh Thang commune, districtQuynh LuuUrgently harvest vetiver plants to provide raw materials for incense-producing villages in and outside the province, serving the upcoming Lunar New Year market.

People in village 7, Quynh Thang commune said that the vetiver plant is grown intensively on hilly land. After digging up the entire root system, cleaning the soil, cutting off all the leaves, leaving the pulp and roots about 15 cm long, then pressing them by machine, drying them in the sun, and packaging them to sell to traders.

The vetiver roots grown in Quynh Thang commune are considered beautiful by traders because they are numerous, fragrant, and have a beautiful yellow color. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Because the trees are replanted as they are harvested,vetiverIn Quynh Thang commune, the incense roots are harvested all year round. However, according to the experience of the people, they only harvest when the price is high, if the price drops, they just leave it as it is, waiting for the market to improve. The strongest consumption is still from November to the end of May, because at this time, the craft villages and villages with incense production need a lot of raw materials, of which, the incense roots are the main raw material for producing Tet incense.

Mr. Le Van Nga - Chairman of Quynh Thang Commune People's Committee said: The roots of the vetiver tree aretraderThe purchase price has been strong in recent times, so the price has also increased compared to 1 month ago. In early November, dried vetiver roots were purchased by traders at 45,000 VND/kg, now it has increased to nearly 50,000 VND/kg. However, this is still not a record high price, because before that, there were years when vetiver roots here increased to 60,000 VND/kg.

Talking about local vetiver plants, Mr. Le Van Nga said: Initially, some people dug them up in the forest to make incense for use on Tet holiday, then propagated them in their home gardens. When they saw that vetiver plants were easy to grow and thrived on hilly land, people expanded the intensive cultivation area, each year higher than the previous year. This year, the area of ​​vetiver plants in Quynh Thang commune is about 400 hectares, about 70 hectares higher than a few years ago. This area is the highest compared to other short-term crops in the locality, and is also the crop that brings the highest income to people today.

A place to buy vetiver roots in Quynh Thang commune. Photo: Xuan Hoang

"People grow intensively, so the yield reaches 4 tons of dry plants/ha. With the current selling price of nearly 50,000 VND/kg, 1 hectare earns nearly 200 million VND, while the cost to grow 1 hectare of vetiver is about 60 million VND. Only need to sell at 38,000 VND/kg to make a profit, so with a selling price of nearly 50,000 VND/kg, people have a big profit, which is exciting," said Mr. Le Van Nga.

Because the locality has the largest area of ​​vetiver trees in the province, as well as good quality roots, there are 5 traders in the area who specialize in purchasing vetiver trees for people and transporting them to other places for consumption. The output of this product is relatively stable.