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Farmers suddenly changed their lives by growing gotu kola on alum-contaminated soil
On the abandoned land because of heavy alum contamination, coconut farmers in Hoai Nhon, Binh Dinh province switched to growing gotu kola. Unexpectedly, the income brought 3-4 times higher than rice cultivation.
The experimental model of growing gotu kola under the coconut canopy has been implemented since 2013, in Tam Quan Nam ward (Hoai Nhon town, Binh Dinh) but has not been successful. Cause, planted under the canopy of coconut lack of light, so gotu kola plants are underdeveloped.
In 2014, the locality mobilized farmers to switch to growing gotu kola on an alum-contaminated rice production area, the effect was very surprising. Many households, after converting crops, have a better life, their families get out of poverty, and have money to raise their children to college.
Since then, the area of centella asiatica has gradually covered the fields in Tam Quan Nam ward.
Currently, the whole ward has more than 200 households growing gotu kola, on an area of about 18 hectares, of which Cuu Loi Nam neighborhood has 7.5 hectares. Every day, the harvest of this area reaches over 2 tons of gotu kola. With the purchase price of 8,000 – 10,000 VND/kg, it is estimated that people in the neighborhood earn 16-18 million VND/day.($1=24,000 VND)
Harvesting gotu kola, Mr. Nguyen Kim Dung (53 years old, in Cuu Loi Nam neighborhood) said: “In the past, this field was planted with rice, but it was not effective because the soil was heavily alkaline, so people abandoned this area. switch to growing gotu kola for very high yield”.
According to Mr. Dung, centella asiatica is easy to grow, has few pests and diseases, takes care of watering and fertilizing, it is harvested once every 20-25 days. On average, each pole of gotu kola gives an income of 20 million VND/year, 3-4 times higher than the previous rice cultivation.
Mr. Huynh Van Den (43 years old, in Cuu Loi Nam neighborhood) is the household that grows the most centella asiatica, with 8 sao, earning more than 100 million VND annually.
“Not only my family, in the past few years, thanks to the income from gotu kola, many people in the neighborhood have more and more full lives, even many households get rich from gotu kola,” he said. Come affirmation.
According to Ms. Dao Thi Huong, the owner of an agent buying gotu kola in the Cuu Loi Nam neighborhood, consumers in supermarkets and markets in the southern provinces are very fond of gotu kola.
“I have been buying gotu kola for almost 8 years now. On average, each year, my agent buys from people around 150 tons, worth nearly 1 billion VND, supplying the markets in the Central Highlands and Ho Chi Minh City”, Ms. Huong shared.
Ms. Huong added that, in order to keep the supply stable for customers, her family rented more than 1 hectare of land and allocated it to 5 poor households in the neighborhood to grow gotu kola and buy products, helping households have more income. Make a living.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Chu – Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Tam Quan Nam Ward, in order to improve the productivity, quality and value of gotu kola, in the coming time, the locality will coordinate with the Agricultural Service Center and the Association. Farmers in Hoai Nhon town organized training for farmers on safe vegetable production techniques in the direction of VietGAP.
At the same time, the locality plans to plan inefficient areas of productive land and rice production land to grow centella asiatica to ensure a higher and higher income for farmers
Photo: Internet (Vinlove.net)
Farmers suddenly changed their lives by growing gotu kola on alum-contaminated soil
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Source: vinlove
