(HBO) – Sao Bay commune (Kim Boi district) of Hoa Binh province has been widely known for local farmers’ dynamism in crop restructuring. Coming to the commune any time of the year, visitors could see the green colour of various vegetables and food crops.
The commune’s proactive switch to plants generating high economic income has improved the livelihood of local people towards sustainable poverty reduction.
Residents in Dam Gian village, Sao Bay commune (Kim Boi
district) grow wax gourd which brings in high economic value.
The commune relies
completely in farming. Earlier, local people lived on the cultivation of rice,
maize, potato and cassava. Farm
productivity heavily depended on weather, resulting in unstable output.
After learning of big consumers’ demand for tuber and fruit vegetables,
the Party committee and People’s Committee of the commune guided local people
to cultivate new plants with high economic values.
Since 2012, local farmers have grown various types of vegetables such as
wax gourd, cucumber or melon, raking in higher income compared to maize and
rice. Currently, pumpkin, wax gourd, melons and cucumber has become key crops of
local residents. Those crops have generated good earnings for many households
in communes of Dam Gian, Sao Bac, Doi Boi and Sao Dong.
We travelled to Sao Bay at the time local people were growing the 2018
winter crop. Accompanied by Bui Huy Ban, the commune’s agricultural official,
we visited a model farm where wax gourd is grown using trellis, with its roots
being covered by polyethylene membranes to keep moisture in soil, while preventing
weeds. The 3-ha model farm in Dam Gian village is owned by three families of
Bui Van Huy, Bui Van Luc and Bui Van Nguyen.
The farm has created permanent jobs for four labourers and temporary
jobs for 20-30 others. In 2018, the average output of gourd at the farm hit
about 70 tonnes per ha, with selling price in the spring crop at 3,000 VND per kg.
According to Bui Van Luc, his family grew pumpkin and wax gourd on 6,000
sq.m., raking in 300 million VND (12,815 USD) a year. Meanwhile, Bui Van Huy’s
family earned 350,000 million VND (14,950 USD) a year from wax gourd.
At present, people in Sao Bay are growing winter crops such as wax
gourd, cucumber, kohlrabi, cabbage, cauliflower and potato. Locals have already
harvested the first crop of wax gourd and are planting the second. Other crops
are growing well, giving hope to local people about a bumpy crop generating high
income./.
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.
