Symbol of the land of love
Lotus is one of the key industries of Dong Thap. Currently, the province's lotus fields cover an area of over 1,250 hectares, mainly concentrated in Thap Muoi district. Dong Thap has nearly 50 lotus products that have been granted OCOP certification.
Since 2017, Dong Thap has built a local image and chosen the slogan "Dong Thap is as pure as the soul of lotus"; established a local identity and the brand "Pink Lotus Land" through the image of "Little Lotus"; registered the trademark certification "Sen Thap Muoi"...
Lotus fields in Dong Thap attract tourists (Photo: Contributor).
Dong Thap aims to develop the lotus industry sustainably, aiming at the value chain, creating typical products to supply the domestic market and export. Lotus tourism and cuisine used to be the first eco-tourism model of Dong Thap, which is currently being promoted and effectively promoted.
Dong Thap’s lotus leaf tea, lotus heart tea, lotus milk, lotus jam, lotus leaf hats, lotus silk, dried lotus flowers, etc. are increasingly popular with domestic and foreign consumers. These practical actions have impressed tourists with the local image, creating more economic development opportunities for farmers.
The land of pink lotus has famous native lotus varieties such as Tram Chim white lotus, Tram Chim pink lotus... Currently, Dong Thap province is researching and crossbreeding new lotus varieties, specialized for the purposes of growing flowers, seeds, leaves or shoots, with initial positive results.
Products made from lotus are increasingly diverse, high quality, and eye-catching in design (Photo: Contributor).
Opportunity for farmers to get rich
According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dong Thap, growing lotus brings in a profit of 36-40 million VND/ha per year, 3 times higher than growing rice. Not only that, the organic lotus growing model also contributes to protecting the environment, balance and biodiversity.
Mr. Huynh Van Cuong, a lotus farmer in Thap Muoi district, confided that lotus products all serve relatively high-end customer needs such as decoration, medicine or cuisine. Moreover, large-scale lotus fields often attract visitors.
Therefore, according to Mr. Cuong, lotus cultivation must limit the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and organic farming is given priority.
"Organic farming, visitors to the lotus field will be able to comfortably breathe fresh, fragrant air. Visitors will also enjoy dishes made from lotus, or shrimp and fish caught right in the lotus field.
Moreover, products from clean lotus fields are favored by businesses and purchased at good prices. The government encourages organic farming, and we also see this as an inevitable direction for sustainable development," said Mr. Cuong.
Workers processing lotus seeds (Photo: Contributor).
Mr. Le Van Bo, a lotus farmer in Cao Lanh district, said that in the past, he only grew lotus for its leaves and flowers. However, due to different market demands, he is experimenting with growing many types of lotus, specialized for different purposes such as leaves, flowers, shoots, etc.
Ms. Ho Thi Diem Thuy (Thap Muoi district) shared that, realizing the abundant source of raw materials, she researched how to cook lotus seed milk to develop the economy. Currently, she produces about 1,300 bottles of fresh lotus milk every day, bringing in a profit of about 400 million VND per year. Ms. Thuy plans to expand the scale of production and research more deeply processed products such as powdered lotus milk.
Many young entrepreneurs in Cao Lanh district have researched and produced dried lotus products, lotus leaf paintings, or lotus silk, increasing the value of raw materials hundreds of times.
Each dried lotus flower costs about 300,000 VND. The lotus is both a symbol and a great contributor to Dong Thap's economy (Photo: Nguyen Cuong).
Currently, some lotus growing areas in Dong Thap have been granted codes, meeting the standards for cultivation for export. As a district accounting for nearly half of the lotus growing area in the province, the plan is that by 2025, Thap Muoi will have over 1,000 hectares of lotus fields cultivated in a concentrated, organic, and modern manner.
According to lotus processing enterprises in Dong Thap, the market signal for this product is very positive, especially in the international market. Many enterprises are expanding raw material areas and improving products to meet domestic and foreign tastes.
Recently, at the event "Vietnamese Goods Week in Thailand 2023", many products such as dried lotus and lotus tea brewed in the fields of Dong Thap enterprises impressed and attracted customers' attention.
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