Many households in Ky Lac and Ky Tay communes (Ky Anh district, Ha Tinh) grow lemongrass to sell to a company as agreed, but when it comes time to harvest, the company does not buy it because the yield is too low.
Mr. Tran Tuong Lai's lemongrass garden
At the end of 2022, after understanding the policy on developing linkages in production, consumption and processing of hybrid lemongrass products in the locality between the locality and Truong Duong Medicinal Materials Joint Stock Company (headquartered in Thanh Hoa province), in the form of an enterprise providing seeds and consuming products, Mr. Tran Tuong Lai (Hong Xuan village, Ky Tay commune) registered to plant 1 sao, the amount of money to buy seedlings was more than 1 million VND.
In February 2023, after receiving the seedlings, Mr. Lai's family destroyed some perennial crops to plant lemongrass.
Mr. Tran Tuong Lai (right) and leaders of Ky Tay commune discussed the incident with reporters.
Mr. Lai said: “Vertical hybrid lemongrass is easy to grow, has a low mortality rate, and grows quite quickly. According to the agreement, 8 months after planting, farmers will harvest to sell to businesses. However, up to now, entering the 10th month, when the lemongrass is in the old and dying stage, the business has not returned to buy it."
Not only Mr. Lai's family, the entire Ky Tay commune has 60 households that have joined together to grow hybrid lemongrass, with a total area of 2.5 hectares, and are currently in the same situation as Mr. Lai.
Mr. Vo Van Toan - Vice Chairman of Ky Tay Commune People's Committee said: "To reduce the difficulties for the people, the commune has called on some establishments to buy lemongrass for the people, and at the same time support each kg of lemongrass sold for 1,000 VND. However, the traders and establishments only buy each part of the root (not the leaves) at 6,000 VND/kg; currently only nearly half of the area has been sold."
Mr. Vo Van Hai in Lac Trung village (left) and Ky Lac commune officials survey his family's lemongrass garden.
In a similar situation, nearly 1ha/1.3ha of hybrid lemongrass over 10 months old of 15 households in Ky Lac is withering day by day.
"My family has converted more than 2 sao of cassava and peanut land to lemongrass, hoping for higher income; invested 2 million VND in seeds and fertilizers, collected tons of manure, and put a lot of effort into taking care of it, but when it was time to harvest, the company did not buy it. Now we can't bear to destroy it, but we can't leave it either," said Mr. Vo Van Hai in Lac Trung village.
According to Mr. Phan Hoang Truong - Chairman of the People's Committee of Ky Lac commune, the government and people have contacted Truong Duong Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company, but the company representative said that the output is too small so it cannot be purchased. Currently, the government is also connecting with some facilities to consume products for people, but the quantity is not much.
The vertical lemongrass gardens of Ky Lac people are in a state of being unable to be left unfinished and unable to be destroyed.
According to the reporter's investigation, 75 households in Ky Tay and Ky Lac communes have purchased 3.7 tons of lemongrass seeds, worth over VND50 million from Truong Duong Medicinal Materials Company Limited, and planted on 3.8 hectares. According to the minutes of agreement on the policy of linking production, consumption and processing of vertical hybrid lemongrass products between the parties involved, the first production cycle in Ky Anh district must ensure from 100 hectares to a maximum of 120 hectares. From the second cycle, if there is a need to expand the scale, the area will be larger.
According to Mr. Phan Cong Toan - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ky Anh district, after the district organized a tour for some village chiefs and people to visit and learn about economic development models in other provinces, it was found that lemongrass is suitable for the land, soil and local climate, so it has advocated developing lemongrass cultivation as raw material.
“Regarding the cooperation of the people of Ky Tay and Ky Lac in growing lemongrass with Truong Duong Medicinal Materials Company, when the harvest season came, the company also sent people to survey but the quantity was small, so they introduced another unit to purchase about 10 tons in Ky Tay commune. Currently, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and local authorities are contacting and introducing a number of units to continue purchasing for the people," Mr. Phan Cong Toan added.
Minh Duc - Thu Cuc
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