(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.
During the two days of November 14th – 15th, at the Provincial Cultural Palace, the Department of Industry and Trade organized a conference to connect the product consumption of the ethnic minorities and the mountainous areas in 2024. There was the attendance of the representatives of leaders of a number of departments, branches, businesses, manufacturers and distributors inside and outside the province.
The One Commune One Product (OCOP) programme is reshaping the rural economy of Lac Son district, helping improve living standards, particularly among the ethnic minority communities in remote areas of Lac Son district.
The Van Mai dam xanh (Bangana lemassoni) fish has long been famous for its unique and delicious flavour, earning a spot on the menus of many restaurants and attracting food connoisseurs. In recent years, residents in Van Mai commune, Mai Chau district, have expanded their fish farming areas and striven to build a strong reputation for their product. They are also working to establish it as an OCOP (One Commune, One Product) item to increase their income.
Outstanding rural industrial products of Hoa Binh province in 2024 were recently honoured and granted certificates, becoming a source of pride for producers and also a boost for local economic development. The honourees are all deeply imbued with the local cultural identity and boast considerable commercial potential, helping popularise the image of Hoa Binh to domestic and international consumers. This is also a solid stepping stone for rural industrial establishments to develop.
In the first 10 months of 2024, Hoa Binh city made significant progress in job creation and labour exports, sending 112 workers abroad through partnerships with authorised recruitment firms.
An award ceremony to announce the official certification for Mai Chau district’s Bangana lemassoni fish, a specialty of the locality because of its unique flavour, was held recently in the district.
