Good news for ginger growers in Ky Son

(Baonghean) - It will be nearly 2 months before Ky Son enters the ginger harvest season, but many traders and businesses have already come to the mountain town of Muong Xen to find sources of goods. Currently, the price of good quality fresh ginger in Muong Xen is up to 34,000 VND/kg...

At this time, many Mong ethnic families in Ky Son district are taking advantage of harvesting old ginger fields left over from last year. Although the ginger is old, partly rotten and does not meet the desired quantity and quality, traders still buy it at the field at a price of 28-30 thousand VND/kg. It will be 2 more months before the people of Ky Son district enter the ginger harvest season, but looking at the above developments, people are very hopeful for a good ginger crop and good price. Mr. Lau Tong Sua, Tong Khu village, Na Ngoi commune said: 2 weeks ago, he harvested all the old ginger fields, got nearly half a ton of fresh ginger, sold at the field for nearly 15 million VND. This year, the family continues to expand the ginger growing area on the field, hoping that next season ginger will have a high price".

Mr. Lau Va Chong - Chairman of Na Ngoi Commune People's Committee happily said: "This year, people in the commune planted nearly 300 hectares of ginger. Although it is not yet harvest season, in the past time, some businesses have come to Na Ngoi to find out about the source of ginger for export. Not long ago, the leaders of Nghe An Agricultural Supplies Company, along with 2 Japanese people, came to Na Ngoi, bringing ginger samples for quality assessment. If they meet the standards, the company will purchase the product, provide seeds, and provide technical support so that people can confidently grow ginger in the following years.

Selecting fresh ginger at Huong Son Cooperative, Ky Son district.

Meanwhile, in Muong Xen Town, the price of good ginger is purchased by Huong Son Cooperative at 34,000 VND/kg, but people have no goods to sell. Mr. Nguyen Van Luan - Chairman of Huong Son Cooperative said: "According to the law, this is the time of year when ginger is most expensive in Ky Son, but there has never been a year when ginger has a price as high as this year. Previously, there was a time when ginger was only 2-3 thousand VND/kg, when it was high, it was only about 7-10 thousand VND/kg". According to Mr. Luan's prediction, when people enter the harvest season, the price of ginger in Ky Son will still reach about 15,000 VND/kg, twice as high as last year. Currently, many domestic and foreign enterprises are coming to Muong Xen Town to research the market. Huong Son Cooperative alone has agreed to supply 1,500 tons of fresh ginger to Dragon Vietnam Company. Besides, some other companies such as Minh Chau (Hai Phong), Thien Thanh (Saigon),... are also sending people to contact Huong Son Cooperative to find a source of ginger for export.

Ky Son ginger has a good price, good quality, and high essential oil content. Ginger is grown in high mountains, in cold climates, without using pesticides or chemical fertilizers, so it is very popular with customers from countries such as Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan. Up to now, Huong Son Cooperative has signed contracts to purchase products with people in communes of Ky Son and Tuong Duong districts.

Mr. Nguyen Van Luan said: “Although Ky Son ginger is very popular, it is still too dependent on export companies in other localities. Although we know that having to act as an agent, collect goods and resell them to export companies will not make much profit for the cooperative, and the price of ginger will not be stable, causing people to suffer, but so far there has been no feasible solution. The Ky Son ginger brand is still only known by word of mouth and has not been registered for export. The cooperative has not yet directly exported its products abroad due to limitations in foreign languages ​​and trade promotion. According to Mr. Luan, so far, no one has stepped up to help, guide or orient the cooperative in these matters.

Mr. Mua No Xu - Vice Chairman of Ky Son District People's Committee said, "Although ginger is expensive, the district's policy is not to develop it massively, but in the planning, it will only be planted on a total area of ​​375 hectares in communes with concentrated Mong ethnic groups such as: Na Ngoi, Muong Long, Dooc May, Na Loi, ...

Ky Son has determined that, along with hybrid corn on sloping land and taro, ginger is a tree that eliminates hunger and reduces poverty for the people. Therefore, it is time for the authorities to quickly intervene and help businesses in the district quickly register the Ky Son ginger brand; directly find markets for export or build processing factories, instead of being too dependent on companies in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, and Da Nang. By doing so, Ky Son's ginger will have a stable output, people will not be forced to lower prices, and ginger will certainly bring higher profits to ginger growers and businesses in the area compared to working as a commodity collector as it is now.

Article and photos:Nguyen Khoa