Fragrant cinnamon scent of Tra Bong

These days, walking on the inter-village and inter-commune roads in the "capital" of cinnamon Tra Bong, everywhere is filled with the scent of cinnamon. It is the time of cinnamon harvest, so cinnamon growers are busy. Some go to the fields to peel cinnamon bark, others take advantage of the sunny weather to dry cinnamon to sell to traders. Currently, fresh cinnamon bark costs from 15-16 thousand VND/kg, dried cinnamon costs 40-45 thousand VND/kg.

Cor people in Tra Bong highland harvest cinnamon and carry it to sell to traders.

After a day of harvesting in the fields, Mr. Ho Van Sang in Huong Tra commune brought home nearly 20 kg of cinnamon bark to sell to traders. Mr. Sang excitedly said that his family has more than 5,000 cinnamon trees, of which about 600 are old enough to be harvested. With the current price of cinnamon, he is estimated to earn tens of millions of dong this season.

According to Mr. Sang, the current price of cinnamon is still very low, so the profit from cinnamon trees is not high. "In previous years, the price of fresh cinnamon was up to 20 - 25 thousand VND/kg, cinnamon growers were all excited," Mr. Sang shared.

Cinnamon trees help people have a stable source of income.

Although the price of cinnamon this year is lower than expected, people are still happy because of the stable income from cinnamon trees. "Since the beginning of the season, I have harvested cinnamon bark and sold it to traders for nearly 10 million VND. Thanks to the money from selling cinnamon, I can cover my living expenses. Currently, my family has more than 600 cinnamon trees ready to be harvested. Hopefully, in the near future, the price of cinnamon will increase so that our people can have more income," said Ho Thi Truc in Tra Hiep commune with a happy smile.

In the “capital” of cinnamon, Tra Bong, there are two cinnamon harvests each year. The first one starts from late February to the end of April, the Cor people call it “the first season” and the second one is from July to August. “During this time, the cinnamon bark is easy to peel and has a lot of essential oil, so the cinnamon harvest needs to be urgent, because in the off-season, the cinnamon bark will stick to the trunk and be very difficult to peel,” said Ms. Truc.

Tra Bong cinnamon is in the top 10 famous natural specialties of Vietnam.

Along with other crops, cinnamon is one of the main crops in Tra Bong district. Almost every Cor ethnic household grows cinnamon. Small households grow more than 1,000 trees, large households grow several hectares of cinnamon. Tra Bong cinnamon, from a traditional crop, has become an important resource in sustainable economic development and poverty reduction for farmers. Thanks to cinnamon cultivation, many households here have escaped poverty and become rich.

According to statistics, Tra Bong district currently has about 5,500 hectares of cinnamon growing area. Along with maintaining the current cinnamon growing area, Tra Bong district is implementing programs and plans to expand the cinnamon growing area by 400 - 500 hectares per year, striving to increase the cinnamon growing area to 6,000 hectares by 2030. This goal not only helps increase output and cinnamon supply, but also creates many job opportunities and increases income for people, especially the Cor people in the highland communes.

Traders buy cinnamon to process and sell to the market.

Vice Chairman of Tra Bong District People's Committee Tran Van Suong said that along with supporting quality seed sources, the locality has been continuing to promote propaganda and mobilize people to expand cinnamon growing areas, while applying science and technology to the planting and care process to increase productivity and product quality, maintain and enhance the brand of Tra Bong cinnamon.

Not only is it a traditional crop of the Cor people, Tra Bong cinnamon has been recognized as a national specialty and honored by the Asian Record Organization as an Asian specialty gift. As one of the four key cinnamon growing regions of the country, with an annual harvest ranging from 1,800 to 2,000 tons, Tra Bong cinnamon not only meets domestic consumption needs but also reaches out to the international market.

Tra Bong cinnamon has a special aroma and contains high levels of essential oils.

Tra Bong cinnamon products are highly appreciated by the market because of their special scent and high essential oil content, so they are favored by the domestic market and many countries around the world such as China, France, India, Korea, etc. Currently, cinnamon essential oil and handicraft products made from cinnamon bark such as vases, cups, tea boxes; toothpicks, incense are consumed quite strongly.

Article and photos: LINH DAN

Source: https://baoquangngai.vn/kinh-te/nong-nghiep/202503/ngat-thom-huong-que-tra-bong-3da4e88/