Hanoi From the beginning of March, 16 households in Tay Ho district will be provided with seeds, technical instructions on caring for, harvesting and preserving West Lake lotus, the type with up to 100 petals.
Faced with the fact that the lotus growing area is shrinking, the Tay Ho District People's Committee has invited experts from the Central Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute and the Hanoi Agricultural Extension Center to coordinate in implementing the project "Building a lotus production model associated with developing ecotourism according to the value chain in Tay Ho - Hanoi". The project implementation period is from February 17 to November 15.
Households will be guided to apply technical advances in seed selection, cultivation, harvesting and preservation; at the same time, build a model of high-quality lotus production with products: Flowers for tea, flowers for decoration and seeds for food associated with tourism development. Some lakes selected for pilot lotus cultivation are Dau Dong, Thuy Su (Quang An ward) and Ao Sen 1, Ao Sen 2 (Nhat Tan ward).
Harvesting West Lake lotus grown near the water park. Photo: Ngoc Thanh
Tay Ho District People's Committee Chairman Nguyen Dinh Khuyen said the district has 18 small lakes surrounding West Lake, of which about 20.5 hectares of water surface can grow lotus. In 2024, Tay Ho District will pilot lotus planting on 7.5 hectares, the remaining 13 hectares will be deployed in the following years because some lakes are being renovated.
In early March, households will start to incubate, in April place in the lake so that in June there will be lotus flowers. Mr. Khuyen assessed that growing lotus does not bring high economic efficiency, it takes a lot of effort to create valuable products, so he hopes that households are truly enthusiastic and love the job.
West Lake lotus has been recognized as an intellectual property. This is a special type of lotus with 100 petals, found nowhere else. "The district has long cherished the idea of organizing a lotus festival but has not been able to do so due to many factors. In 2024, the district is determined to organize the first lotus festival to promote West Lake lotus," said the Chairman of Tay Ho District.
West Lake lotus tea is considered the quintessence of Vietnamese tea and has increasingly high economic value. Photo: Ngoc Thanh
According to Ms. Vu Thi Huong, Director of the Hanoi Agricultural Extension Center, the restoration of West Lake lotus cultivation is the desire and determination of all parties. If the pilot is successful, the center will propose to replicate the model next year.
West Lake Lotus, also known as Bach Diep Lotus, is grown in small lakes around West Lake. Its easily recognizable features are double, pink petals, long-lasting fragrance, and large, plump lotus seeds. This lotus variety is often used to flavor tea.
Vo Hai
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