(HBO) – Son Thuy commune of Kim Boi district has enjoyed a bumper longan crop for another year. It is entering a new longan harvest season. Farmers are joyfully reaping longan while buyers from other provinces are also flocking to Son Thuy to purchase the fruit.
Residents
in Khoang hamlet are happy with the bumper crop and healthy price of Son Thuy
longan
Pham Van Phuong and his wife Bui Thi Dao are
busily preparing to sell longan to a buyer from Hai Phong city. Dao said her
family has planted longan for almost 20 years and now has about 230 longan
trees on one hectare of land. Longan was sold at 33,000 VND (1.45 USD) per kg
at the beginning of the harvest season and 25,000 VND (1.1 USD) per kg at
present. She estimated this crop’s output at about 25-30 tonnes, generating 600
million VND (26,400 USD) in revenue.
The family of Bui Van Men in Khoang hamlet, who
boasts 2 hectares of longan, is also busy with harvesting the fruit to sell to
traders from Hanoi. He expected an output of 30-35 tonnes and gained about 700
million VND (30,800 USD) in revenue if the average price is around 20,000 VND
(0.88 USD) per kg.
The soil in Son Thuy is favourable for longan.
The trees planted here is the Huong Chi variety hailing from Hung Yen province.
This variety, used to be offered to kings in the past, suits the climate and
soil conditions in Son Thuy and has become a specialty with big fruit, thin
skin, thick flesh and soft sweetness.
The farming techniques of farmers, especially
members of the local cooperative, have been improved, thus boosting longan
productivity. Longan is the most profitable plant that has ever been grown in
the commune since it can generate 400-500 million VND (17,600-22,000 USD) per
hectare, comparable to grapefruit and organge farming while longan is easy to
be cultivated and has only a few diseases. The brand of Son Thuy longan has
become popular among buyers in many places.
The family of Bui Van Men in Khoang hamlet
earns about 700 million VND from longan this year.
Secretary of the Son Thuy
communal Party Committee Bui Van Luc, one of the pioneers in cultivating the
Huong Chi longan variety, currently owns more than 2ha of longan, including
0.9ha of newly planted trees and 1.3 ha of 15-year trees. They produce 30
tonnes of longan this year which, with a price of 22,000 VND per kg, can earn
him over 600 million VND.
Luc said the commune is changing the cultivation
structure towards more longan and citrus trees. Among over 140ha of the
commune’s rice area, about 50ha have been shifted to longan farming, bringing
about considerable benefits. There are 110ha of longan across Son Thuy, and
58ha can be harvested at present. All of the five hamlets in the commune have
farmed longan with Khoang and Loc hamlets having the largest areas. Son Thuy
residents now consider their land as gold and are applying themselves to longan
farming. While the productivity in many major longan hubs such as Hung Yen
province or Dai Thanh commune of Hanoi’s Quoc Oai district is low, Son Thuy
recorded a bumper longan crop. The total output is estimated at 700 tonnes,
creating about 14 billion VND (616,000 USD) in revenue. The number of
households earning hundreds of millions of VND each year is not small at
present.
Since Son Thuy longan was recognised as a
collective brand, it has become more popular among customers. Buyers from not
only Hanoi, Phu Tho and Nghe An provinces but also Hai Duong province, Hai
Phong city and other localities have come to the commune to purchase longan.
Longan is giving life-changing opportunities to people in Son Thuy.
The commune is instructing local farmers to
comply with food safety and hygiene regulations, protect the collective brand
and shift the cultivation structure in a sustainable and effective manner.
Maximizing local potential and advantages, Yen Tri commune in Yen Thuy district is actively promoting the cultivation of medicinal herbs and turning medicinal herbs into One Commune - One Product (OCOP) products.
Situated at the gateway to the Northwest, Hoa Binh province has a population of over 900,000, including about 540,000 of working age. It is home to 6,000 businesses and production facilities, providing employment for over 100,000 workers. The remaining workforce is engaged in informal jobs, works in enterprises outside the province, or contributes to agro-forestry-fisheries. Additionally, around 3,000 workers are employed abroad.
The Hoa Binh provincial People's Committee has issued Decision No. 2767/QD-UBND announcing the rankings of departments, agencies, districts and Hoa Binh city in the Public Administration Reform Index (PAR) and the Satisfaction Index of Public Administration Services (SIPAS) in 2024.
The cultivation of Dam Xanh fish (Bangana lemassoni), a unique fish species, has seen remarkable growth in Mai Chau district, thanks to its high economic value and effectiveness. Initially concentrated in Van Mai commune, farming has now extended to four other communes, namely Mai Hich, Mai Ha, Chieng Chau, and Son Thuy. These areas benefit from pristine underground water flowing from mountain crevices, providing ideal conditions for raising this specialty fish.
In 2024, the total state budget revenue of Hoa Binh Province is estimated at approximately VND 6,930 billion, achieving 183% of the Government’s target, 126% of the target assigned by the Provincial People's Council, and 145% compared to the same period last year.
In 2024, Hoa Binh province has shown signs of improvement in attracting investment and developing enterprises.
