In the morning, people in a district of Yen Bai went to the forest to find bamboo shoots, a type of "wild vegetable", which was sold out before reaching the market.

Bamboo shoots are young shoots of the bamboo tree, growing abundantly on high mountains in the northern mountainous provinces, but not everywhere the bamboo shoots are as delicious as in Yen Bai.

Previously, the bamboo shoots mainly grew naturally, so the amount of bamboo shoots harvested was not much. But now, realizing the economic benefits of bamboo shoots, along with the support from local authorities, departments and branches, people in the highlands of Tram Tau district (Yen Bai province) have gradually changed their awareness.

People proactively plan to grow in areas, increase deep processing to increase profits and diversify products from bamboo shoots.

Currently, Tram Tau district has nearly 150 hectares of bamboo shoot growing trees (an increase of 26 hectares compared to 2023), of which the largest area is concentrated in the communes of Tuc Dan, Ban Cong, Hat Luu, Xa Ho with a yield of 47 quintals/ha, and an output of 682,000 tons.

Sáng ra dân một huyện của Yên Bái lên rừng tìm cắt một loại — Realizing the economic value, many households in Tram Tau district (Yen Bai province) have developed and expanded their bamboo shoot growing areas. Photo: Hoang Huu

Mr. Lo Van Duong - agricultural extension officer of Xa Ho commune said: "Realizing the economic efficiency of bamboo shoots, in addition to the existing areas, many households in the commune have planted and developed this native plant. People are also regularly supported by agricultural officials, guided on techniques for planting, caring for and exploiting bamboo shoots. Up to now, the whole commune has 13 hectares of bamboo shoots, of which the newly planted area is over 7 hectares. People in the village are expanding the planting area in some areas with conditions".

Mr. Giang A Hang's family (Sang Pao village, Xa Ho commune, Tram Tau district, Yen Bai province) has been growing bamboo shoots since 2019. Now, the family's bamboo shoot hill has begun to yield harvest.

Mr. Hang said that the bamboo shoots are suitable for the highland climate, so they are easy to grow and are almost free from pests and diseases. The bamboo shoots have small, straight stems, the buds are slightly larger than an adult's thumb, and are covered by a hard, thick shell.

"Sat bamboo shoots only bloom from March to May, so the price at the beginning of the season is quite high, from 70,000 VND - 80,000 VND/kg with the shell and gradually decreases when entering the main season, the price fluctuates from 25,000 - 35,000 VND/kg. Sat bamboo shoots have brought my family a fairly stable source of income. Every year, my family earns nearly 80 million VND from sat bamboo shoots without having to spend almost any investment or fertilization costs" - Mr. Hang shared.

It is the season of harvesting bamboo shoots, so it is not difficult to see people carrying baskets up the mountain to pick bamboo shoots. After picking, people will tie the bamboo shoots into small bundles to sell to traders or bring them to the market to sell.

Most of the harvested bamboo shoots are used as fresh food and are popular with consumers because they are sweet, crunchy, fragrant, delicious and ensure food safety. Bamboo shoots can be processed into many dishes such as: boiled bamboo shoots, grilled bamboo shoots, bamboo shoots braised with ribs, bamboo shoots stir-fried with garlic...

In addition, to serve the needs of tourists to bring back as gifts, people also peel bamboo shoots, wash them, drain them and put them in vacuum bags.

Recently, the Department of Agriculture of Tram Tau district has instructed people on techniques for growing bamboo shoots so that bamboo shoots grow evenly and have higher productivity, such as techniques for fertilizing and the amount of fertilizer annually, techniques for caring for bamboo shoots in each cycle, and ways to prevent some types of pests and diseases...

Mr. Dang Tien Dung - Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tram Tau district shared that the ironwood tree is widely distributed in the mountains, often growing mixed with bushes. If properly cared for, it can form a forest and produce high yields.

In order to increase the productivity of bamboo shoots after each cycle, it is necessary to strengthen management and scientific care, not to let livestock damage them, and not to harvest them thoroughly... On average, each hectare of bamboo shoots can yield 6-8 tons of bamboo shoots/ha/year if well cared for.

Currently, Tram Tau district is continuing to propagate and mobilize people to raise awareness of protecting and effectively exploiting this forest resource.

At the same time, the district also encourages people to expand the area of bamboo shoot cultivation on forest land, thereby helping to green bare land and hills, prevent soil erosion and landslides, increase forest cover, and help people increase income and improve their lives.

Source