The $3 million banana garden and the unfulfilled hope of Yen Thanh farmers

(Baonghean.vn) - Investing 3 million USD and renting agricultural land from farmers to grow bananas for export, Globe Farm Korea Co., Ltd. thought it would open up many opportunities for farmers in Vien Thanh commune, but after nearly 6 years, that joy has become unfinished...

The Company's remaining banana acreageGlobe Farm Korea Co., Ltd. (Yen Thanh).Ms. Dang Thi Tu - Hamlet 9, Vien Thanh Commune regrets the time when the banana farm was green and bustling, but now it is clearly showing signs of disrepair.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Nhan - Chairman of Vien Thanh Commune People's Committee said: At the time of implementing the banana project, the land rental price was low, only at 600 USD/ha, equivalent to more than 600 thousand VND/sao. However, seeing that the project brought many benefits to the local economic and social development, the province invested nearly 39 billion VND to build an asphalt road over 8km long, 6m wide through 5 hamlets to the project area, solving jobs for the people, so the Party Committee and the People's Committee have propagated and mobilized nearly 750 households, in 7 hamlets to hand over land, so that the investor can implement the project smoothly.

After completing the contract procedures for leasing 52 hectares of land in Dong Son area, Globe Farm Korea Co., Ltd. has renovated, dug canals, installed nurseries, mobilized leveling machines, and imported banana tissue from the Philippines for seedling cultivation. At the same time, it has recruited more than 100 local farmers to work.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong - A worker said: Workers working at the banana farm are not very hard, but because they are bananas for export, everything is very strict. The land must be plowed 2-3 times to a depth of 0.5m before planting. Each hectare has about 2,500 trees, at a distance of 2.0m x 2.0m. When the bananas bear fruit, the bunches must be covered with nylon bags to protect the fruit from pests and promote fruit development. The ripeness reaches 75-80%, the fruit is slightly round-edged, light green skin, ivory-white flesh, no pests, no scratches, even fruit. Use a sharp knife to cut each bunch, cut the stem of the bunch very short, dip it in a container of Topsin 0.1% to prevent fungi from rotting the fruit, drain the sap, then tie it with paper, put it in a carton box and then export, so the workers are more professional.

However, due to the increasing demands of the Korean market, the unusual changes in climate, the irregular harvest of bananas, and the lack of guaranteed productivity and quality, the project has gradually declined. From a scale of 52 hectares, Globe Farm Korea Co., Ltd. had to reduce the planting area, focusing on taking care of 20 hectares to harvest and sell to maintain operations. One problem that has given headaches to commune and hamlet officials in Vien Thanh is that the company wants to return the unused land area to the people.

Mr. Ngo Van Chin - Head of Hamlet 6, Vien Thanh Commune said: People are excited to have new jobs and stabilize their lives, but now they have to receive their land back without receiving the land rent for many years and no one is willing to pay. Moreover, now that the company is returning the land, the Party Committee and the hamlet committee have to make a plan and choose seedlings for people to produce.

The investor representative said: Currently, all factors are not in favor. The company really does not want to return the land to the people, but also hopes that the local government will help and the people will understand the company. The company is researching more dragon fruit trees to plant.

Deserted factory.

Vien Thanh is a commune in a difficult area of ​​Yen Thanh district, with a large area of ​​​​growing crops but the soil is poor in nutrients, infertile, ineffective, and the crop yield is low. When an investor chooses to implement the project, it is a "golden" opportunity for Vien Thanh to develop, especially when the commune is implementing the criteria for building a new rural area.

Mr. Dang Quang Hoang - Secretary of the Party Committee of Vien Thanh Commune said: The construction of the factory in the area helps the locality effectively implement the project of creating jobs for farmers and also changes the mindset and working style of the people. We also sympathize with the difficulties of the Korean Globe Farm Co., Ltd., but because the people are upset with the amount of land rent that the company owes.

PV