Growing organic bamboo shoots is easy and makes a lot of money

BINH PHUOC Bamboo shoots are very easy to grow organically because they are almost pest-free, do not require the use of chemical pesticides, and only need to focus on organic fertilizers.

BINH PHUOC Bamboo shoots are very easy to grow organically because they are almost pest-free, do not require the use of chemical pesticides, and only need to focus on organic fertilizers.

Although he is a 2/4 type disabled veteran and his body is no longer intact, Mr. Nguyen Kim Thanh, Director of Thanh Tam Bamboo Shoot Cooperative (Thanh Tam Ward, Chon Thanh Town, Binh Phuoc Province) still works as hard as anyone else. Looking at his family's property, many people dream of it. Part of that property comes from bamboo shoots.

More than a decade ago, when rubber prices dropped sharply, Mr. Thanh decided to convert part of his rubber plantation to bamboo for shoots. The bamboo variety he planted was Dien Truc, which was very suitable for the sandy soil in Chon Thanh. After a few years, the bamboo garden grew well and began to produce shoots, the shoots were large and dense, so they were very heavy.

Mr. Nguyen Kim Thanh (right) next to bamboo shoots grown using organic processes. Photo: HT.

In the process of taking care of the bamboo shoot garden, Mr. Thanh found that this is a very easy-to-grow, easy-to-care-for plant with very low investment costs. If taken care of well and with enough water, bamboo shoots can be harvested all year round. He believes that bamboo shoots are very suitable for households with little capital and land and can be planted anywhere in the garden or fence, without having to be planted in a concentrated area. Therefore, he shared with many people, advising them to do the same.

In 2017, after having more than a dozen households growing bamboo for shoots, Mr. Thanh decided to join everyone to establish Thanh Tam Bamboo Shoot Cooperative with a charter capital of 600 million VND. The initial area of ​​the cooperative was only 2 hectares, then gradually increased to 7 hectares, the main activities were growing bamboo for shoots and purchasing bamboo shoots in the area.

Up to now, the cooperative's bamboo shoot cultivation area has reached more than 100 hectares. The average yield is about 20 tons/ha. That is only harvesting bamboo shoots in the main season, that is, in the rainy season. If well cared for, it can be harvested during the dry season, that is, about 9 months each year, then the yield can increase by one and a half times.

Mr. Thanh said that the cooperative has invested over 1 billion VND in a bamboo shoot processing factory, an industrial drying system using electricity with a capacity of 1 ton of dried bamboo shoots in 30 hours, and a warehouse to preserve fresh and dried bamboo shoots. Therefore, in the rainy season, if the price of bamboo shoots drops, they will be collected for processing and drying, not only will they not lose value but they will also be more profitable than selling fresh bamboo shoots.

Dried bamboo shoots of Thanh Tam Bamboo Shoots Cooperative cost around 500,000 VND/kg depending on the time but are still in high demand. Photo: Hong Thuy.

“I want fresh or dried bamboo shoots to ensure food safety and high quality. That is why for many years now my bamboo shoot garden has been cultivated according to VietGAP procedures and is currently following organic procedures. Actually, organic bamboo shoots are very easy to cultivate because they have almost no pests or diseases, and do not require the use of chemical pesticides. I don’t even use much fertilizer. I only use cow and goat manure, mix biological products, add by-products such as vegetables and fruits, then compost them for enough time before fertilizing, but I don’t use much. Besides, I don’t use any other products,” said Mr. Thanh.

According to Mr. Thanh, bamboo trees grown and cared for according to organic processes produce fresh bamboo shoots of guaranteed quality, but dried bamboo shoots, if not processed properly, will also become unclean and unappetizing.

The drying process is divided into two stages. The first stage takes up most of the drying time at 60 degrees Celsius, the product will dry slowly and evenly from the inside out, ensuring that the color of the bamboo shoots does not darken or blacken. Although the second stage only takes up about 10% of the time, it determines how long the preservation time lasts. At this stage, the temperature increases and is maintained at 70 - 75 degrees Celsius to drain all remaining water in the bamboo shoots, while killing all harmful fungi or microorganisms in the product to increase the shelf life.

Bamboo shoots are very easy to grow and cultivate using organic processes. Photo: Hong Thuy.

“Fresh bamboo shoots after harvesting must be pre-processed and put into the dryer within 2 days. If left too long, the bamboo shoots will become old, fibrous and bitter. In addition, dried bamboo shoots will be tougher, so the cut off part of the root is also more than fresh bamboo shoots. Therefore, in other places, it is usually only necessary to dry or dry 20kg of fresh bamboo shoots to produce 1kg of dried bamboo shoots, but at Thanh Tam Cooperative, it takes 25-28kg of fresh bamboo shoots to produce 1kg of dried bamboo shoots.

“Because the bamboo shoot stem must be cut deep so that the dried bamboo shoots are not fibrous or tough, and the drying temperature is low and takes a long time, the purpose is to completely remove the water inside to preserve it longer, so the loss is greater than other facilities,” said Mr. Nguyen Kim Thanh.

Source: https://nongsanviet.nongnghiep.vn/trong-mang-tre-huu-co-vua-de-vua-kiem-bon-tien-d406602.html