Unique millionaire cooperative in a purely agricultural area of ​​Nghe An

With more than 70 households, located in a mountainous area with barren land and little rice land, Tien Phong hamlet used to be one of the poorest hamlets in Nam Hung commune in particular and Nam Dan district in general. Most of the young people in Tien Phong hamlet when they grew up had to pack up and leave their hometowns to find work. The people at home have tried many crops such as tea, high-yield cassava, etc. but they were not effective.

Galangal has been grown a lot in Nam Hung. Photo: Thu Huong

When traders began to come to buy galangal, a plant that grows naturally in abundance in this area, people considered it a plant with little value. However, when they saw that traders were willing to buy in large quantities at quite high prices, at first the people of Tien Phong raced to dig up naturally growing galangal to sell, then they started to grow galangal in their gardens and on the hills.

With the characteristics of being easy to grow, not even needing fertilizer, almost no pests, not requiring much care and especially suitable natural soil conditions, galangal quickly thrived in Nam Hung and became a savior for the people of Tien Phong hamlet.

Currently, on average, each household grows about 5-6 sao with an income of 40-50 million VND/sao/year. Many families in Tien Phong have escaped poverty and even become millionaires thanks to growing galangal.

Cooperative members are processing galangal before selling it. Photo: Hoang Hao

From 2016 to present, to help the galangal growing profession in Tien Phong develop sustainably, Nam Dan district has directed the Women's Union and farmers of Tien Phong hamlet to establish a Cooperative Group, creating connections, supporting each other to improve production efficiency, and at the same time supporting the search for stable output.

The Tien Phong Galangal Production, Harvesting and Consumption Cooperative was established with nearly 200 participating households, divided into 10 groups. With loans under the government's support programs and policies, members of the Tien Phong Galangal Cooperative continued to expand the planting area, invest in production equipment such as pumps, washers, trucks, etc.

After harvesting, the galangal roots are gathered in one place, washed, and the group members cut the roots together. They are then packed into sacks and loaded onto trucks for distribution to local areas.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hang - Tien Phong hamlet shared: “Since the cooperative was established, not only have prices been more stable and unified, but the mutual support has also helped families save on vehicle purchase costs. For example, instead of each family having to invest and carry out the steps from planting to harvesting and transporting for sale, now they only need to collect the harvest in one place in the hamlet and then everyone cleans it up to quickly put it on the car to be distributed on the same day. In addition, the members of the cooperative take turns planting and harvesting instead of harvesting en masse to avoid oversupply. In addition to supporting each other in production, the cooperative also organizes regular monthly activities, contributes money to fundraise and organizes cultural activities.”

Ms. Nguyen Thi Quynh Hoa - President of the Women's Union of Nam Dan district said: "The model of the Cooperative Group for production, purchase and consumption of galangal in Tien Phong hamlet, Nam Hung commune is the first effective cooperative group and association model in Nam Dan. It not only brings clear economic efficiency but also creates a spirit of solidarity, a healthy community living environment and high income for the people"./.