(HBO) – Each year, once the busy harvest season ends, farmers in Pu Bin commune of Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh province, start preparations to plant purple garlic. Making use of the cool mountainous climate, local residents have expanded the garlic planting area to raise their income.
Ha Cong Tin, a resident in
Na Phat hamlet of Pu Bin commune (Mai Chau district), stores dried garlic to
wait for prices to become more stable before selling the produce.
Purple garlic has a special taste and is also a
valuable herb curing many illnesses. Additionally, it suits local climate, so
residents in Pu Bin commune are farming this cash crop on a larger area.
The cultivation area reached 17ha in late 2017,
and it is expected to rise to 20ha this year and to continue to expanding in
the coming years. Na Phat and Bin communes have the largest garlic farming
area, over 10ha in total.
Ha Cong Tin, who has the largest garlic
cultivation area in Na Phat hamlet, said each year, after the harvest season,
his family will start to prepare soil for planting garlic. Last year, they
farmed 1,500 sq.m. of garlic and expanded the area to 2,000 sq.m. this year.
Garlic is easy to be cultivated and not vulnerable to diseases. Farming
techniques are simple as the plant needs little water and suits the local
climate, so it always grows well. He harvested nearly 400kg of garlic in last
year’s crop.
All households in Pu Bin commune have cultivated
garlic so far, from 40 sq.m. to 2,000 sq.m. each. Among them, Ha Cong Tin in Na
Phat hamlet plant 2,000 sq.m. of garlic while Dinh Cong Thang, a resident in
Bin hamlet, farms 1,800 sq.m.
Purple garlic of Mai Chau is favoured by
consumers thanks to its special good taste compared to other types of garlic in
the market. However, the sale of the local specialty remains unstable.
Kha Van Huong, head of Na Phat hamlet, said they
always meet difficulties in selling garlic. Because local residents live in a
mountainous region far away from urban areas, they have to bring garlic to
markets even before the dawn breaks and go back after the twilight, yet they
can sell only several kilogrammes of garlic.
If people fail to sell all garlic they bring
along, they can hang the produce above stoves to preserve and wait for higher
prices. However, garlic can only be stored for a short period of time as it may
sprout or become mouldy. If traders come to buy garlic at gardens, prices may
reach up to 50,000 VND (2.14 USD) per kg or drop to 15,000 – 20,000 VND (0.64 –
0.86 USD) per kg, Huong noted.
After more than four years of implementing a project launched by the Hoa Binh Party Committee’s Standing Board on developing agriculture and promoting product consumption linked with building new-style rural areas for the 2021-2025 period, the province’s industry and trade sector has made significant strides, greatly contributing to local socio-economic development.
Luong Son district has identified 2025 as the year for the accelerated breakthrough to successfully implement the socio-economic development plan for the 5-year period from 2021 to 2025. The district has been focusing on executing the plans and trying to achieve a GRDP growth rate of approximately 15%.
Since the beginning of this year, under the direction of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the Sub-Department of Agricultural, Forestry, and Fishery Product Quality Management has strengthened the integration of the professional activities to promote and guide the organizations and individuals in the production and trading of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products to comply with the legal regulations regarding the use of chemicals, pesticides and veterinary medicines in crop cultivation, livestock farming and aquaculture. They also provide guidance to processing and manufacturing establishments on keeping the records to trace the product origins and using food additives from the approved list according to the regulations.
Hoa Binh province saw a significant rise in state budget revenue in the first two months of 2025, heard a meeting chaired by Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Quach Tat Liem.
Ha Thi Ha Chi, a 26-year-old graduate in law, has taken an unconventional path by returning to her hometown in Mai Chau district to establish the Tong Dau Cooperative, creating stable jobs for local women and bringing Thai ethnic brocade weaving to the global market.
As the Lunar New Year 2025 approached, pork prices surged, creating a profitable season for farmers in Tan Vinh commune, Luong Son district. Taking advantage of the rising demand, Can Minh Son, a farmer from Coi hamlet, sold over 30 pigs at 69,000 VND/kg, each weighing more than 100 kg. After deducting expenses, his family earned a profit of over 50 million VND.
