Huoi Tu highlands - today...

(Baonghean) - The remote commune of Huoi Tu (Ky Son) is home to 813 Mong households out of a total of 857 households. Overcoming the difficulties of natural conditions, the Mong people of Huoi Tu are making many new strides in business, improving the quality of life in all aspects...

"Miracle" of land opening and water source

Currently, Huoi Tu has 8 farms and ranches that are being invested in and developed by the people. This is due to the great contribution of the will to "take the lead and do it first" of many families. Among them is Mr. Ho Ga Vu's family. He is one of the households representing the Mong ethnic group in Ky Son district to receive the title of good production and business of the province last year. His "miracle" is mentioned as opening roads and dredging streams to make farms.

Shan Tuyet Nghe An tea products with raw materials harvested in Huoi Tu.

The valley at the foot of Pha Xac mountain has an area of ​​5 hectares, which is considered a rare flat land area of ​​Huoi Tu commune. However, because Mong people often live on high mountain peaks, the terrain is isolated, so this valley has remained abandoned for many years. When choosing this land to develop a farm, Mr. Ho Ga Vu encountered the difficulty of having no access road. On the other hand, the valley is more than 700m from Pha Xa stream, so bringing water from the stream is not simple. In that situation, he had to mobilize all family members to cut trees and build roads. The whole family began to conquer the wasteland, bringing pots and pans, food into the forest; resting wherever they were tired, and sleeping in the forest at night. After 40 days, the road of more than 1.5 km leading from the valley to the main road was completed. It can be considered that the difficult first step was overcome.

The next problem was water. Mr. Vu's family continued to cut bamboo and split troughs to bring water from the stream to the farm. However, the bamboo troughs, due to the steep mountain terrain and water pressure, were often damaged, especially after each storm. Mr. Vu decided to borrow money from the bank to buy plastic water pipes. When the water source was stable, and with support from the District Agricultural Extension Station for fish seeds, he dug two ponds with a total area of ​​nearly 400 square meters, each year he harvested nearly 500 kg of fish. This was not only a source of food for the family but also brought in a significant income.

After the initial success of the fish pond, he boldly converted the family's previously ineffective upland rice field into a 2-hectare orchard. Through research, he learned that varieties of trees such as persimmon, jackfruit, mango and peach are suitable for the soil and weather here as well as easy to care for and sell for a good price, so he went to neighboring areas such as Tuong Duong and Quy Hop to buy seeds to plant. When harvest season comes, he and his family transport them by motorbike to Muong Xen and Nam Can border gate to sell. The average income from selling fruit is over 10 million VND. The fruit tree cycle can be harvested for over ten years, so the care work is also much easier.

During the period from 2005 to 2008, realizing that buffalo and cows were very valuable, Mr. Vu boldly expanded the farm area and raised 6 more hectares of forest for grazing, providing a natural food source. In the peak year, his herd of buffalo and cows reached 30 with a total investment of 50 million VND for breeding sources. In addition to natural food sources, every day he took advantage of the family's upland corn, which was ground and mixed with banana leaves to supplement nutrition for the buffalo and cows. He fattened the breeding animals from 3 to 4 months old onwards, because this was the time when they grew the fastest. For each calf, he bought from 5 to 7 million VND, after only 1 year he could sell it for 15 million VND. Animal husbandry has become the main income of the farm and Mr. Ho Ga Vu has firmly set his sights on getting rich on the highlands...

The prospect called "Shan Tuyet"

After more than 10 years since the Shan Tuyet tea variety was sent by the 8th Youth Volunteer Corps (TNXP 8) to eat, live and work side by side with the people to develop on the land of Huoi Tu, now the tea tree has an important position in the life of the Mong people here. Currently, the total area of ​​Shan Tuyet tea cultivation in the commune has reached nearly 400 hectares; of which, 6 villages have nearly 100% of the households growing tea: Huoi Kha, Huoi Khe, Pa Xac, Huoi Mu, Trung Tam and Huoi Dun. Every year, households and the Corps increase the area of ​​cultivation of this plant; the yield from the tea tree is quite high, up to 120 - 150 tons/year...

The electricity system and roads leading to the villages of Huoi Tu have been invested quite thoroughly.

Mr. Ha Ba Ly, Vice Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, shared: “In Huoi Tu, Shan Tuyet tea trees have given people a prosperous life. Tea trees have been growing on this land for 10 years, now Huoi Tu has less than 58% of poor households, while before nearly 90% of the people here were still haunted by poverty. Just mobilizing people to grow Shan Tuyet tea was a long story. At first, the commune mobilized, then asked the village elders and village chiefs to go to each house to mobilize, but people still did not believe to do it. Thanks to the officers of the 8th Youth Volunteer Team, they both demonstrated in their unit for people to see, then brought the seeds back, went up the hill to guide each household, from digging holes, planting cuttings, to weeding, pruning branches. The Team is also the place to consume the products, so people gradually trusted to grow tea trees. From here, the Mong people have changed their thinking and working methods to escape poverty.”

Visit the houses of Denh Nhu Cho, Vu Pa Chong, Vu Khua Hua - the Mong households with the largest tea growing area in Huoi Kha village. These men all said: At first, growing tea was difficult because they had to constantly weed and shape the canopy. But now, growing tea is as familiar as growing corn or rice, and it is even more enjoyable because they can harvest several times a month and sell as much as they can. With an area of ​​each hectare, the annual income from tea trees for the people is between 35 and 40 million VND. The whole commune has more than 200 households growing snow tea. Large households grow up to 3 hectares, small households grow more than 1 hectare. Of the 400 hectares of tea in the commune, about 250 hectares of tea are harvested; the products are consumed in and outside the province.

Bustling Huoi Dun market

Currently, Huoi Dun market - Trung Tam village has 36 households doing business in the market. The person considered the "richest" in the market is Mr. Vu Chong Cho, who runs more than 3 grocery stores and also has a tractor to provide transportation services. Mr. Cho shared: Luckily, his family lives in Trung Tam village - where the market has existed for a long time. This is the trading and trading point of Mong, Thai, and Kho Mu people from neighboring communes such as Pha Danh, Ta Ca, Dooc May, and Na Loi. People's demand is increasing day by day, Mr. Vu Chong Cho and the remaining 35 households have imported all kinds of goods from the lowlands to sell. To save on transportation costs, people buy their own vehicles to transport goods. From here, many people have learned about business and services to get rich.

Not only selling consumer goods, the businesses here also sell cows, chickens, and plants to help people develop livestock and farming. It is estimated that the monthly income of business households ranges from 3 to 4 million VND. For typical households like Mr. Vu Chong Cho, this number is much larger. At the end of 2014, Huoi Tu also received support from the State to bring electricity to the village, making people's lives more prosperous, especially supporting people in business and trade.

Mr. Ha Ba Ly, Vice Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, said: "The total natural area of ​​the commune is 11,150 hectares, but flat land is very rare, mainly rugged hills and mountains, making it very difficult to travel. However, 233 party members here have worked with 4,800 people, mainly Mong people, to exploit the land potential and advantages for economic development. The commune government and people are hoping that in the coming time, Huoi Tu will have many new directions in economic activities to escape poverty and become rich."

Thanh Quynh