(HBO) – Everyone in Dong Bac commune knows Secretary of the local Party committee Bui Van Binh. Binh, born in 1962, is the first one who succeeded in growing dragon fruit in the commune.
![](http://baohoabinh.com.vn/Includes/NewsDetail/10_2018/dt_291020181530_dt_16102018957_img_9065.jpg)
Leaders of the Dong Bac People’s Committee visit Binh’s dragon
fruit farm.
Binh said his
family owns over 3,000 square metres of land. Earlier, his family grew rice,
but the water shortage forced them to switch to sugarcane and corn. However, the
cultivation brought unstable income.
In 2015, Binh
heard in the media about a farming model in Suoi Soi, Lac Thuy district
invested by Tran Hung from Hanoi. The model combined the cultivation of flower
and dragon fruit with tourism. He then came to the site to learn more about the
model and brought home dragon saplings in Lac Thuy.
"At first, I tested
cultivating both white- and red-flesh dragon fruits on 2,000 square metres. They
grew well and, in 2016, I planted 420 more saplings on more than 1,000 square
metres.”
Talking about
difficulties in their early days planting dragon fruit, Binh’s wife Bui Thi
Chau said: With support from relatives and friends, he built 420 concrete
columns along with an irrigation system using water from drilled well. Our
efforts have paid off, when the plants produced the first fruits in 2016. That
year we earned 30 million VND. In 2017, my family harvested about 4-5 tonnes of
fruit, gaining 70 million VND. This year is our third year of harvesting dragon
fruit, with the average selling price reaching 20-25,000 VND per kg and revenue
estimated at over VND100 million./.
With funding from the National Target Programme for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, localities in of Hoa Binh province have invested in essential infrastructure which helps improve local people's lives.
Hoa Binh city has allocated 654 million VND (nearly 26.200 USD) for supporting the protection and sustainable development of 507ha of natural forest to carry out Project 3 on sustainably developing agricultural and forestry production to tap into the potential and advantages of regions to produce goods in value chains.
With the Mid-Autumn Festival nearly a month away, various kinds of mooncakes from popular brands like Kinh Do, Huu Nghi, and Hai Ha have been put on sale at the local shopping malls and business establishments.
In addition to livestock farming, cultivation, and agricultural production, Dao ethnic minority people in Ba Ra hamlet in Hung Son commune of Kim Boi district have also engaged in forestry-based livelihoods, especially bamboo shoot planting.
The Hoa Binh Steering Committee for State Budget Collection on August 15 held a conference to assess the results of state budget revenue between January and July. The conference was chaired by vice chairman of the provincial People's Committee and head of the Steering Committee Quach Tat Liem.
On August 16th, the Community Development Project in Hoa Binh City, under the Good Neighbors International (GNI) Organization, provided 1,300 soapberry seedlings to the Lemongrass Farming Group in Dong Chua Hamlet, Thong Nhat Ward, Hoa Binh City.