Success story of a man leaving city for crop farming

8/9/2017 - 7:41:22 AM

(HBO) – Being keen on gardening, Nguyen Van Thang, born in Hanoi’s outlying Ba Vi district in 1969, has been spending more than 20 years in Thung Rech, a rich soil area in Tu Son commune of Kim Boi district (Hoa Binh province). Between 1992 and 1997, he was known as "King of Sugarcane” in Thung Rech. He was the first to grow sugarcane in the area, leading to a mass cultivation that helped local people alleviate hunger and reduce poverty.

Nguyen Van Thang stands next to a grapefruit nursery.

Thang has changed the mind of local residents when he first brought red sugarcane to Thung Rech.

At first, he planted sugarcane on one hectare and then expanded the area to three hectares. Each hectare brought him an average annual income of 30 million VND. At the time, red sugarcane growing became a solution to hunger elimination and poverty reduction in the area and Thang was called "King of Sugarcane”. However, in 1998, all sugarcane plantation areas were ruined by fires, causing great economic losses. In 2000, Thang began growing oranges, mainly Xa Doai orange varieties, on a 1.5-ha area. His orange garden could produce 70 tonnes at its peak.

To date, his family’s orchards have been expanded to nearly five hectares, of which three hectares of oranges, one hectare of lemons and grapefruits, and one hectare of longans. The orchards rake in over 1 billion VND in revenue each year, with a disposable profit of 700 million VND.

Thanks to his creative dynamism and willingness to restructure the crops, Thang has turned himself into a millionaire in Thung Rech. He has also created stable jobs and incomes for 15 labourers.

Since late 2016 when Thang joined Muong Dong Agriculture & Trade Cooperative, he has been encouraged to follow a farming model that is suitable to the locality’s potential and advantages.

To help the crops develop well, Thang combined different types of fertilizers for the best results. Oranges from his garden are sweet and become a favorite among consumers. Thang revealed that preventing diseases and using fertilizers are the most important tasks in growing oranges and mandarins. He frequently examines the garden to prune tree branches and promptly detect symptoms of diseases. Thang and other members of the Muong Dong Agriculture & Trade Cooperative are now following a new cultivation method that promotes the use of organic fertilizers to ensure food safety and protect the environment.

Thang’s achievements are admirable, reflecting the aspiration and perseverance of a man who dares to leave the city to settle in a remote area and always strives to get rid of poverty.

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