Good income from converting vegetable gardens into banana plantations.
(Baonghean.vn) - Many cooperatives bringing wild banana trees to propagate in the western districts have helped many households earn tens of millions of dong per month from selling banana leaves and using them as animal feed. For example, people in Luu Kien commune (Tuong Duong district) have converted their vegetable gardens into banana plantations, generating high income.
In late March 2024, dozens of families with wild banana plantations in Luu Thong village, Luu Kien commune, Tuong Duong district, sent members to their fields and gardens to harvest banana leaves. This is a model undertaken by the Women's Association of the village to raise funds for their collective activities.
The model of growing bananas for their leaves was implemented by the Women's Association of Luu Thong village from the end of 2022. According to Vi Thi Chien, the head of the Women's Association of Luu Kien commune, the women in the village recognized the economic benefits of growing bananas for their leaves and utilizing the banana stalks as feed for livestock and poultry. Therefore, at the end of 2022, the women of Luu Thong village decided to convert some of their vegetable gardens to banana cultivation.
Initially, the women themselves went into the forest to dig up young banana saplings to plant. After just over a year, the banana trees in the gardens of the members' households had grown lush and tall, reaching above head height, and were gradually yielding a harvest. This is a model undertaken by the Women's Association of the village to raise funds for their collective activities.
Since mid-2023, banana plantations have begun to yield harvests simultaneously, averaging one harvest every three months. On March 28th, households growing wild bananas in their vegetable gardens in Luu Thong began cutting new banana leaves to supply to traders. The natural source of seedlings from the forest, coupled with minimal care requirements, results in relatively high profits from wild banana cultivation.
Currently, after cutting and bundling the leaves, banana leaves in Luu Thong are bought directly from the farms by traders at prices ranging from 4,000 to 5,000 VND/kg. During peak market periods, the price can double, reaching 8,000 to 10,000 VND per bundle, such as during the Lunar New Year season. Thanks to the steady income from selling banana leaves, the Women's Association of Luu Thong village harvests about 1 ton of leaves once every quarter, equivalent to an income of 4-5 million VND. The money earned from selling banana leaves by the cooperative will be used to help disadvantaged households borrow capital to develop their economy and gradually alleviate poverty; and to visit and encourage members during times of hardship and adversity.
In Luu Thong village, the model of growing wild bananas for their leaves is gradually being expanded, increasingly demonstrating the economic effectiveness of this crop whose entire structure can be utilized. Luu Thong village is home to 54 households of the Mong ethnic minority. With its predominantly hilly and steep terrain, it has long faced difficulties in cultivating various crops, but it is very suitable for growing wild bananas. Since 2016, the first person to introduce wild banana cultivation commercially in Luu Thong was Mr. Vu No Lu.
Initially, Mr. Lu planted over 1 sao (approximately 1000 square meters) of wild banana trees to feed his chickens, pigs, and cows. Later, traders inquired about purchasing banana leaves, and seeing the high income potential, he invested in expanding his banana plantation to 1 hectare. Mr. Lu harvests the leaves quarterly, about 4 times a year, averaging about 1 ton per harvest, bringing in approximately 20 million VND per year.
In Luu Kien commune, not only in Luu Thong village but also in many other villages, people have developed a model of growing bananas for their leaves, generating a relatively high income. For example, the households of Mr. Loc Van Thin and Ms. Vi Thi Mai... In 2017, Ms. Mai planted about 1 hectare of wild bananas, and now her household has expanded the banana plantation to 3.5 hectares. Regularly harvesting banana leaves in rotation each month according to different areas brings Ms. Mai's household an average income of 10 million VND/month from selling banana leaves.
Currently, the entire Luu Kien commune has 94 households growing bananas for their leaves, covering an area of over 24 hectares. Of these, Luu Thong village has 62 households growing bananas in their gardens. They also undertake the protection and cultivation of bananas growing under the canopy of natural forests, providing local people with a stable source of income and enabling local associations and organizations to fund community development activities, build rural roads, and assist those facing difficulties in life.
