Lotus peanuts - a precious peanut variety of Nghe An
Decades ago, peanuts were the main agricultural product of rural areas such as Dien Chau, Nghi Loc, Quynh Luu, Nam Dan, Do Luong... with a planting area of approximately 30,000 hectares/year. Peanut "stirring" villages were as crowded as festivals when the season came. People in Dien Chau district spread out to other districts to buy peanuts to import to processing and export facilities. Some peanut oil processing facilities were also established to process oil to serve the people, and at the same time, dry peanuts were used for livestock farming. Remember in the 80s and 90s, dry peanuts were made into cakes, sometimes even used to prepare many dishes for people because food was not enough.
Dien Chau is the capital of peanuts in Nghe An. The Nghe An peanut brand also has its foundation here. In 2010, the area of Nghe An peanuts was 22,000 hectares, by 2020 the area was 12,900 hectares, a decrease of more than 9,000 hectares. Dien Chau district is the key peanut production center of the province and still maintains an area of about 3,000 hectares/year.
Dien Chau peanuts have a rich, sweet, aromatic taste that is popular throughout the country and have been exported to countries such as Russia, China, Indonesia... There was a time when peanuts became the province's main export product, and people said "Peanuts are steel, cast iron, peanuts go to other countries and bring machines back".
Among peanut varieties, Nghe An lotus peanuts are a precious variety, able to withstand the harsh weather in Nghe An. Remember, during the flood in October 2023, in Dien Thanh commune, where Dien Chau has a large peanut area, although corn and vegetables were all damaged, the winter peanuts covered with nylon in the middle of low ground were still green, giving a high yield of tubers with nearly 30 tubers/bush. Lotus peanuts are also a high-quality peanut variety. According to research, the fat content reaches 45.79%, the protein content reaches 27.99%, meeting export standards, with a very characteristic delicious flavor: Large, even tubers, thin skin, very good kernel ratio (>72%), high and stable yield.
Mr. Nguyen Sy Thang, owner of a peanut processing business in Dien Chau, said: The special soil environment of Nghe An creates firm, fragrant, rich, delicious peanuts that are highly appreciated internationally. However, for many reasons, Nghe An lotus peanuts have gradually lost their brand. Many export shipments have been returned by partners, so the peanut acreage has also decreased.
Lac OCOP takes the throne
For many years, peanuts have been an important crop in Dien Chau. Spring comes and the peanut fields are covered with white plastic with millions of peanut sprouts reaching for the sun. Every household grows peanuts, and when the season comes, people call each other to buy and sell peanuts.
Ms. Thu, hamlet 8, Dien Thinh commune (Dien Chau) grows 4 sao of lotus-shaped peanuts, each crop yields 4-5 quintals of dry beans, earning an average of 14-15 million VND per year. After deducting the cost of seeds and labor of a few million VND, the remaining profit is about 12 million VND/crop. That income is quite good compared to growing other crops. Growing peanuts does not require much care, mainly covering with plastic and keeping the plants from being damaged by mold.
There is no worry about peanuts being unsold, they can always be sold. Ms. Thu also said that growing peanut seeds to sell to local people is the best price. After harvesting peanuts, she sells them to local processing facilities, and in the spring season, she also sells fresh peanuts to serve tourists, with almost no worry of them being unsold.
The dream of restoring the Nghe An peanut brand and expanding the peanut acreage has always been burning for Mr. Thang. Realizing that in addition to the export market, the domestic market has great potential as peanuts are a popular agricultural product, Mr. Thang is determined to build the Dien Chau peanut brand into a high-quality OCOP product. Mr. Thang said: Through lessons learned in the process of exporting peanuts, Dien Chau people have become aware of the value of peanuts and creating a sustainable output for their hometown's agricultural products is an urgent requirement.
With that in mind, realizing the unique value of Nghe An lotus peanuts, Mr. Thang has built a peanut processing process that ensures export standards as well as selecting qualified input materials.
After being selected, Mr. Thang directed workers to peel the peanuts by hand at the enterprise, select each bean and dry them to the best standards. His peanut products were welcomed, granted 4-star OCOP certification and quickly appeared in major supermarkets. Not only that, Mr. Thang is currently exporting peanuts to Europe, China, and Japan. Each year, he buys about 1,000 tons of peanuts from farmers.
Mr. Thang added: What makes Dien Chau peanuts maintain their brand today is the original quality of the lotus peanut variety and the secret of harvesting and processing, ensuring that the peanuts are harvested at the physiological maturity stage, the nutrients are at their highest and when dried, the peanuts do not crack. With the attention of all levels, Mr. Sy Thang is determined to build the Nghe An peanut brand with increasingly better quality and move towards achieving 5-star OCOP.
Chairman of Dien Thinh Commune People's Committee, Mr. Tran Van Quang, said: Thanks to the efforts of Mr. Thang as well as the district, commune and functional agencies, the value of peanuts is increasingly affirmed. Not only growing peanuts, during the crop season, Dien Chau people who do peanut farming can also earn hundreds of millions of dong.
Previously, in the period of 2017 - 2019, a Korean agricultural project specializing in peanuts was also invested in 3 communes of Dien Chau and Nghi Long commune (Nghi Loc), Nam Loc commune (Nam Dan). The effectiveness of the project has created awareness for people on how to make products, guided people on how to create brands and enhance peanut brands, helping people understand the great value of their agricultural products after having origin and labels.
Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has approved a project on processing OCOP products from peanuts associated with certified and traceable raw material areas in Dien Thinh commune (Dien Chau). In the investment in infrastructure for production areas, canals, area codes, and products, the total value is 15 billion VND, of which the investment in the peanut product introduction center in Dien Chau is 1.3 billion VND.
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