Revive the white gold region in Nghe An

Firm faith in rubber trees
With the advantage of red basalt soil area, in recent years, rubber trees have become one of the main crops on the red soil of Phu Quy. This raw material tree has been helping many households here escape poverty and become rich.

Nghia Lam rubber (Nghia Dan) in latex harvest season. Photo: Tran Canh Yen

Reviving rubber after the storm in Tan Ky. Photo: Tran Chau

The family of Ms. Phan Thi Vinh in Tan Yen hamlet, Tan Phu commune, Tan Ky district is also in the same situation. Her family has 1 hectare of rubber but nearly 50% of the area was damaged by storm No. 2 (July 2017). Except for the trees that cannot be restored and have to sell their wood, she hired people to prop up the remaining trees, prevent them from falling, and diligently took care of them.

In previous years, rubber latex was expensive, so many households in Nghia Tan, Nghia Minh, Nghia Hieu, Nghia Hong communes... in Nghia Dan district applied for land from farms to invest in rubber plantations in the hope of escaping poverty. Currently, the price of rubber latex fluctuates around 7,000 VND/kg, with an area of ​​1 hectare, each day can exploit about 20 - 25 kg, averaging a daily income of 120,000 VND.

Mr. Vo Quang Tuan - Director of Nghe An Rubber Coffee Company Limited (Thai Hoa Town) said: Currently, the unit has 2,400 hectares, most of which have been exploited in Thai Hoa Town, Nghia Dan, a decrease of nearly 100 hectares compared to 2016 due to liquidation after the storm. Currently, the company continues to plant rubber and take care of rubber after the storm. Rubber prices are low, plus rubber can be affected by natural disasters, but rubber growers still put their full faith in this industrial tree, they hope that "white gold" will regain its position.
Planting new rubber varieties adapted to storms
According to statistics, Nghia Dan district has over 1,700 hectares of rubber. Previously, rubber trees brought growers a high income each year on average. Many households became rich thanks to rubber trees. However, after the natural disaster in 2017, about 165 hectares were 100% damaged; the area damaged from 30 to 70% accounted for about 350 hectares. With the encouragement of the farms, some of the damaged areas were restored and replaced by new plantings.

Mr. Le Van Huong, Tan Phu commune (Tan Ky) replanted 1 hectare of rubber after the natural disaster. Photo: Quang An

Through discussion, Mr. Phan Thanh Hung - Director of Song Con Agricultural Company Limited (Tan Ky) said: In 2018, the Company will plant 50 hectares of new rubber varieties, adaptable to storms with about 20,000 trees. This rubber variety is imported from Binh Duong province at a price of 25,000 VND/tree, many times higher than the current price of rubber varieties. Besides, this variety has been tested and has shown positive results, so many people are very supportive.

According to Mr. Hung, in addition to planting new rubber varieties, the initial care of rubber trees must also change compared to traditional methods. If previously the density of 1 hectare was 500 trees, with rows 5m apart, now it is necessary to plant each row 6m apart. In addition, when the rubber trees grow to about 2.5 - 3m, the tops will be pinched to help the trees branch out early, limiting the height of the rubber trees. These methods will help rubber trees better withstand storms in the following years.

Mr. Nguyen Van Lap - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development: Nghe An currently has more than 14,000 hectares of rubber, mainly grown on forestry land. In 2018, Nghe An strives to plant 800 hectares, aiming to reach 18,000 hectares by 2020.