Farmers in the Con Cuong highlands 'cross-manage' to grow clean medicinal herbs

In the heat of over 40 degrees Celsius in early April 2024, people in Hamlet 2/9, Chau Khe border commune (Con Cuong) still braved the sun to visit the fields, preparing for the Solanum procumbens harvest. In the middle of the vast green fields of Solanum procumbens, Mr. Nguyen The Dung's medicinal herb field is located near the main road leading to the old Nong Trang village, now Hamlet 2/9. By the time of harvest, the Solanum procumbens is taller than half a person's body, its branches are entwined with each other, and covered with sharp thorns.

Medicinal herb fields in village 2/9, Chau Khe border commune (Con Cuong). Photo: HT

Early in the afternoon, after attending the village party cell meeting with Mr. Nguyen Van Ha, Mr. Dung and Mr. Ha brought tools to the medicinal herb field to harvest, in time to import goods according to the schedule agreed with the product purchasing company.

“Before harvesting, you have to use a bamboo pole to separate the vines that are tied together between two adjacent rows to “open the way” into the field. To harvest this Solanum procumbens plant, at least two people must work together. One person cuts the roots, the other uses a rake to wrap the vines into a roll like this,” Mr. Dung said as he explained how to harvest.

Previously, in village 2/9, sugarcane was the main crop, with more than 130 households, almost every household grew sugarcane. However, compared to sugarcane, Solanum procumbens is a crop that brings much higher economic efficiency. For each hectare of Solanum procumbens, we initially invest about 2 million VND in fertilizer, 600,000 VND in plastic bags to cover against weeds and retain moisture, about 1 million VND in seeds for the first year and keep the roots for 3-5 years without investing in seeds. After 6-8 months of care, the yield will be about 3-4 tons of fresh plants.

With the current purchase price of about 4,500 VND/kg, people earn 12 - 15 million VND/ha/crop. Each year, they harvest 2 crops, earning an average of 25 - 30 million VND/ha. In village 2/9, households that grow small amounts of rice have about 2 sao, households that grow large amounts of rice have 4 - 7 sao such as Mr. Nguyen The Dung with 6 sao, Mr. Nguyen Van Ha with 5 sao...

Harvesting Solanum procumbens requires at least two people to work together. Photo: HT

“From the initial 3 hectares of experimental area, the people of village 2/9 have now developed the medicinal herb area of Solanum procumbens to 10 hectares, bringing in much higher income than other agricultural products grown before,” said Mr. Nguyen Van Ha - Deputy Head of village 2/9. Mr. Ha is also one of the first households to participate in the pilot medicinal herb growing association of Chau Khe commune, supplying raw materials to a medicinal herb company in the area.

Mr. Nguyen Van Ha said that in the contract signed to purchase products with the purchasing company, there are provisions to ensure green and clean quality, no pesticide residue, no disease, and no organisms harmful to human health. The product purchasing company also regularly takes random samples for quality testing, so any product samples of households that violate the contract will be terminated.

Mr. Nguyen The Dung harvests Solanum procumbens in the April 2024 crop. Photo: HT

Mr. Nguyen Van Ha said that if agricultural products do not ensure quality, it will not only affect the income of the violating household, but also the reputation of the community. Therefore, from the beginning of planting this new plant in village 2/9, participating households have set up a rule of "cross-monitoring" each other on compliance with the organic, green, and clean growing process. Solanum procumbens is also rarely affected by disease. During the process from planting, only when the plant is 1-2 weeks old can it be infected with silver leaf fungus.

If the plants are found to be infected, the growers must report to the village management board and spray biological pesticides. In addition, households are only allowed to water and fertilize with organic microbial fertilizers according to the company's instructions. Thanks to the way households self-monitor and help each other in production, for nearly ten years, the 10 hectares of Solanum procumbens growing area in Village 2/9 has always met the strict standards of the natural medicinal plant production area. This is also a way to ensure prestige and maintain a stable source of income for households from Solanum procumbens.