Nghia Dan people find a way out of poverty from the So tree

People in Nghia Loc and Nghia Dan communes take care of the Sophora trees. Photo: Minh Thai

Improve life thanks to the tree

For a long time, the So tree was a forest tree that only had the effect of covering the bare hills and mountains in Nghia Dan, with low efficiency. However, in recent years, the So tree has brought quite high economic value to farmers.

At this time, walking along the road to Nghia Loc commune, among the acacia forests are vast green So trees. Mr. Nguyen Van Dung in Son Hai hamlet, Nghia Loc commune shared: Previously, So prices were too cheap, but in the past 5 years, the output market for So seeds has been relatively stable. The family has over 2 hectares of So seeds, with a yield of 6 tons of fresh fruit/ha (equivalent to 3 tons of dry seeds/ha); the price has increased from only 14,000 VND/kg of dry seeds (in 2019), to 25,000 VND/kg, giving an income of 150 million VND/2ha/year.

In the season of white flowers in early December, the petals are pure white, plump, and spread out, dotted with beautiful yellow pistils. Photo: PV

According to the calculations of the households, the So tree will bear fruit after about 8 years of planting, and by the 10th year, the value earned is enough to cover the cost of new planting and care. The So tree has a stable yield, and every year when the So tree ripens (from September to November of the solar calendar), people go to the forest to harvest the So tree. The So tree is only planted once and then harvested for over 20 years.

Another advantage of growing casuarinas is that they require little care. When it's time to harvest, you only need to clear the grass around the base and harvest one crop each year in the last months of the year.

Mr. Lai Van Duong - Chairman of Nghia Loc Commune People's Committee said: Nghia Loc commune maintains over 250 hectares of solanum, each hectare yields an average of 2.5 - 3 tons of dry seeds, with an income of over 70 million VND/ha/year. Thanks to solanum, many households in Nghia Loc commune have improved their lives and become rich. In the commune, in addition to Mr. Dung's family, there are also families such as Mr. Dao Van Toan who grows 2.8 hectares with an income of nearly 200 million VND/year, and Ms. Bui Thi Quyen's family who grows 2.9 hectares with an income of over 210 million VND/year.

Traders buy dried beans for processing in Nghia Loc commune. Photo: Van Truong

Along with developing forest capital, the commune is expanding by more than 20 hectares, and people are selecting quality seeds for seedling cultivation, preparing for the plan to plant cassia. In addition to its high economic value, cassia is also a year-round green tree, with roots that cling deep into the ground, unaffected by natural disasters, and resistant to erosion caused by floods and rains, contributing to protecting the ecological environment and upstream forests.

The whole Nghia Dan district has more than 500 hectares of So, concentrated in the communes of Nghia Yen, Nghia Minh, Nghia Mai, Nghia Lam, Nghia Long, Nghia Loc, Nghia Tho. Currently, So is growing more effectively than Acacia trees, with stable output. In order to exploit the potential and strengths of So, increase income for households, the district is developing a plan and creating conditions to encourage people to expand the So planting area in places where it has not been effective, especially in the protective forest areas of lakes and upstream dams.

In the season of the flowers of the Sophora japonica in early December, the pure white, tender petals spread out, dotted with yellow pistils among the endless green forests, creating a beautiful, wild and simple natural picture. The season of the Sophora japonica flowers is also a suggestion for Nghia Dan to attract tourists in the coming time.

Seeds in Nghia Loc, Nghia Dan achieve high quality. Photo: Van Truong

Deep processing and post-harvest preservation

In order to proactively consume products, in Nghia Loc commune, many households have invested in machinery and equipment systems for preservation and deep processing to increase the economic value of this plant. A typical example is Mr. Nguyen Duy Quang's household in Binh Minh hamlet, Nghia Loc commune. In 2019, Mr. Quang invested over 7 billion VND to build a factory to process essential oils, with a processing capacity of 20 tons of fruit/day and night.

Mr. Quang said: Every year, our facility purchases nearly 1,000 tons from people in Nghia Dan district, of which a part is processed into essential oils, a part is pre-processed and dried for sale. The output of processed products is quite stable, consumed in the domestic market and exported. In 2020, our cajeput essential oil product achieved a 4-star OCOP product. In order to boost the consumption market and enhance brand value, in recent times, we have actively promoted trade, advertised at a number of fairs inside and outside the district, and expanded retail outlets in the province to introduce cajeput essential oil products.

People in Nghia Loc and Nghia Dan communes get rich thanks to the Sophora tree. Photo: Minh Thai

Along with Mr. Nguyen Duy Quang's establishment is Mr. Nguyen Van Luu's household in Khe Sai hamlet, Nghia Loc commune, specializing in purchasing and processing many cassia products for local people. From 2018 to now, Mr. Luu's family has invested billions of VND to build a drying and oil pressing system, purchasing over 1,100 tons of cassia each season for people in Nghia Loc commune and neighboring communes; creating jobs for over 15 workers.

Mr. Luu shared: Sesame oil has many nutrients such as Omega 6, Omega 9... the content is equivalent to olive oil and is a popular cooking oil in the international market today. However, the facilities of drying and pressing technology are still limited. I hope to receive support from relevant authorities to invest in purchasing modern machinery systems from the stage of drying, crushing sesame seeds to extracting quality oil, meeting market requirements; moving towards building and registering the brand of Nghia Dan sesame oil products, creating stable jobs for local people.

The working delegation of the Department of Science and Technology visited the essential oil processing model of Nghia Loc commune. Photo: Minh Thai

Mr. Lam Van Thang - Head of the Department of Agriculture of Nghia Dan district said: In order for the tree to develop sustainably, in the coming time, in addition to the existing 500 hectares of trees, the district will encourage people to expand the area of ​​trees into a concentrated commodity production area; develop trees in a sustainable direction, attract businesses to process trees into a chain linking production and consumption of products. Along with that, build and standardize the brand of products from trees to export to many markets.

The So tree belongs to the tea family and is a seed tree. In addition to its protective, anti-erosion and environmental protection effects, So seeds also have economic value when processed into high-quality cooking oil. So seed residue (after pressing for oil) is used as a raw material for plant protection drugs. So leaves contain tannins that can be used in the leather tanning industry. Currently, the Department of Science and Technology is promoting support for businesses to build So essential oil brands and approach Japanese businesses to introduce Nghe An So essential oil products for export to foreign markets.

Source: https://baonghean.vn/nguoi-dan-nghia-dan-mo-loi-thoat-ngheo-tu-cay-so-post287685.html