Escape poverty by growing chili peppers for export.

(Baonghean) - With the policy of promoting commodity production to improve people's lives in building new rural areas, the model of growing chili peppers for export in Anh Son district has initially demonstrated clear economic effectiveness.

Currently, farmers in Tuong Son commune are harvesting chili peppers for export. This is the second consecutive year that farmers here have had a bumper crop of chili peppers for export on converted rice land. Ms. Bui Thi Minh, from Hamlet 4, Tuong Son commune, planted 1 sao (approximately 1000 square meters) of chili peppers on unirrigated rice land in the Hamlet 4 area. Thanks to proper care and intensive farming practices, after more than two months of planting, the chili yield reached 2.2 tons per sao, an increase of 0.2 tons per sao compared to the 2014 winter chili crop. The product was purchased by the company at 5,900 VND/kg, bringing her a net profit of nearly 10 million VND per sao, many times higher than growing rice and corn.

Model for exporting chili peppers in Hamlet 4, Tuong Son Commune (Anh Son District).

Building on the success of the 3-hectare chili pepper export model in the 2014 winter crop, this winter, Tuong Son commune converted 10 hectares of rice fields without reliable water sources to chili pepper cultivation in the fields of Hamlet 4 and Hamlet 5, increasing the area by 7 hectares and attracting 47 people to participate in the planting.

Ms. Pham Thi Lan, a land and agriculture officer at the People's Committee of Tuong Son commune, said: "To implement chili production on less productive land, the commune has a policy of providing 30 million VND in support and mobilizing people to contribute nearly 100 million VND to invest in a system of irrigation canals and water reservoirs to care for the chili plants. To date, people in the commune have harvested 18 crops with a yield of 51 tons of chili peppers. It is expected that the entire season will end in early February, with a harvest of approximately 300 tons of chili peppers, generating a net profit of hundreds of millions of VND, averaging nearly 180 million VND per hectare."

Along with Tuong Son commune, Hoi Son commune also planted 2 hectares of chili peppers this winter on the alluvial land of Hamlet 2 (where corn cultivation was previously ineffective), attracting 20 households to participate. Currently, the chili pepper model is achieving a yield of 1.5 tons/sao, generating an income of 7-8 million VND/sao.

Mr. Bui Cong Diep, Vice Chairman of the Hoa Son Commune People's Committee, said: "Hoi Son is a disadvantaged area of ​​the district, with many ethnic minority people living there. Growing chili peppers helps people be more dynamic in crop rotation. They have shifted from planting two crops of corn and summer-autumn beans per year to planting three crops: chili peppers in winter, corn in spring, and summer-autumn beans. The commune has a policy of supporting 50% of the seed cost and 50% of the fertilizer cost to help people implement the model. Thanks to its high efficiency, the commune continues to plan and expand the cultivation of chili peppers to 10 hectares in the remaining hamlets. Thanks to detailed land planning and intensive cultivation according to proper procedures, even though it is only the second production season, the entire district has already structured over 31 hectares of chili peppers for export, an increase of 16 hectares compared to 2014."

Besides Tuong Son and Hoi Son, chili pepper cultivation is also being implemented on less productive alluvial land in four communes: Hoa Son, Duc Son, Long Son, and Dinh Son. After land consolidation and exchange, with the goal of crop diversification and maximizing land use to increase people's income, Anh Son district has focused on attracting businesses and investors to invest in many new models. The model of growing chili peppers for export is one of the new commercial crop models, introduced later than other crops, but it has proven effective for the people.

The Thanh Hoa Agricultural and Forestry Products Export Joint Stock Company invested in chili pepper cultivation under a mechanism that provided farmers with an advance of 10 million VND/kg for chili pepper variety No. 20 and 15 million VND/kg for chili pepper variety No. 07. The company also provided 500,000 VND/kg of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and increased technical staff to invest in building seedling nurseries in the production areas. The chili peppers were purchased at the initial contract price of 5,900 VND/kg (Grade 1) and 4,500 VND/kg (Grade 2).

Ms. Nguyen Thi Que is harvesting chili peppers.

Mr. Hoang Van Dang, Head of the Agriculture Department of Anh Son District, said: "The effectiveness of chili pepper cultivation in the localities has been clearly confirmed. In the future, if maintained and developed well, it can be expanded into a raw material area. Currently, the entire district has about 200 hectares of low-yield paddy land and rice land, which are expected to be included in the chili pepper cultivation structure for export."

However, practical research into chili cultivation also reveals that the industrial approach of farmers in applying new technical advancements in intensive farming is still limited. To improve this, coordination among women's associations, veterans' associations, farmers' associations, etc., is essential in disseminating information, evaluating results, and organizing workshops to share experiences.

And one issue that concerns the people is how to ensure the sustainable development of chili pepper cultivation. Not long ago, in some lowland districts of our province, farmers experienced a situation where their chili peppers were not purchased when it was time for harvest, leading to crop failure.

Therefore, according to Mr. Hoang Van Dang, Head of the Agriculture Department of Anh Son district, it is necessary to clearly define the responsibilities between growers and product purchasing units. Businesses need to fulfill their contracts with farmers and avoid abandoning their agreements, thereby building trust and ensuring people can produce with peace of mind.

In a discussion with us on this matter, Mr. Le Hung Viet, Head of Technical Department of the Agricultural and Forestry Products Export Joint Stock Company - Nghe An Branch, stated: The company has proactively developed a detailed plan for investing in chili pepper cultivation areas in Nghe An, contributing to the effective transformation of commercial crops. In Anh Son, practical investment has shown that chili pepper production conditions are favorable, and good intensive farming can achieve yields of 2-2.5 tons per sao (approximately 1000 square meters). The company's policy is to purchase all products from farmers promptly and at the price agreed upon in the initial economic contract. In the future, the company will continue to build strong links with the government and farmers to develop chili pepper cultivation areas geared towards export.

Luong Mai