When we drive through Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, and all the way to Khanh Hoa, we are all awed by the sight of vast, dry, hot sand areas. These are the very places where the desertification process begins.
Those hot sand areas are expanding more and more, the green of the trees is gradually disappearing, making the lives of the people here more and more difficult...
The main reason is the prolonged drought and lack of water, which prevents trees from growing, and even grass from growing! The sheep here are sometimes so hungry that they have to eat cacti....
More than 10 years ago, I went to Ninh Thuan. The comrades from the Department of Agriculture took me to visit those white sand areas, where the sun was like fire.
Walking on the sand, even with shoes on, one can still feel the burning heat. Yet, right on those hot sands, there are still trees growing green and lush. It is amazing! How can they thrive in such harsh conditions?
Their leaves are dark green, very wide, and cover the base. The trunk is very large, some trees are up to 50–60 cm in diameter. It turns out that it is a neem tree, also known as a drought-resistant mahogany tree.
Scientist Nguyen Lan Hung (right) on a survey trip to plant neem in the South Central region.
I went home to read scientific documents and learned that the neem tree's scientific name is Azadirachta indica A. Juss, belonging to the Melaleuca family. Its leaves and fruits are very similar to the Melaleuca tree in Vietnam, but the leaves are darker green, grow more, and cover the base. In particular, the tree trunk is very large.
According to documents, in Senegal, there are neem trees with a diameter of several meters at the base. When I visited some houses, people said that when digging a well nearly 20 meters deep, they could still see neem roots growing down to the bottom. Perhaps, this is the reason why neem trees still thrive in hot, dry sand and desert areas.
In Phan Rang – Thap Cham city, people mainly plant two types of trees on the streets: small-leafed almond trees and neem trees. Both species are drought-resistant, provide large shade and thick canopies. Many neem trees here have trunks up to 50–60 cm in diameter. Neem wood is of the mahogany type, and the neem fruit is especially abundant, larger than the mahogany fruit.
Neem fruit and leaves contain a special substance called azadirachtin, which has activity against many types of insects, especially locusts. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Tuat, former Director of the Plant Protection Institute and later Deputy Director of the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that when he visited India, he saw four factories there specializing in producing neem oil for use as pesticides. These are biological pesticides favored by farmers.
Neem is an easy-to-grow, drought-resistant plant whose leaves can be used as a biological pesticide.
Five Star Fertilizer Factory in Vietnam has purchased neem oil from India to coat its fertilizer pellets, helping to repel insects.
Right in Vietnam, Dr. Vu Thi Quyen from the Faculty of Technology, Van Lang University and her colleagues have researched and produced pesticides, fungicides, and many types of organic fertilizers,... from neem oil. This shows the great potential of this plant both domestically and internationally.
Returning to Ninh Thuan, I saw that the former director of the Department of Agriculture, now the Vice Chairman of the province, was very enthusiastic about promoting the planting of neem trees in dry, hot sandy areas. Even the Chairman of the province enthusiastically supported this policy. Everyone wanted to re-green the desertified lands...
The problem is how to make people understand and respond to planting neem trees on their own sandy fields. Neem forests not only help repel desertification but also bring in a large source of income.
Each neem tree can produce several dozen kilograms of fruit, with prices ranging from 10,000 to 30,000 VND/kg. If each family plants a few hundred neem trees, the income will be huge, helping people change their lives.
So, please the Government, province, district and businesses research together to soon include neem trees in the program of planting 1 million new trees.
I hope that the Central Youth Union's "Green Summer" program will organize youth volunteer groups to plant neem trees on those sandy areas. Every year, youth can plant thousands of hectares of neem, turning the hot sandy areas into cool green forests.
At that time, birds and animals will return, grass and trees will grow, goats and sheep will live peacefully under the cool shade of trees. Who knows when this dream will come true!
Source: https://danviet.vn/di-tim-mot-nghin-le-mot-cach-lam-giu-cua-nong-dan-hay-phu-kin-nhung-vung-sa-mac-hoa-bang-cay-neem-bai-6-2024111722133128.htm
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