Ms. Ho Thi Loi and border guard officer A Vao take care of the banana garden - Photo: HOANG TAO
To increase income for people in border areas, since April 2022, A Vao Border Guard Station (Dakrong District, Quang Tri) has coordinated with the Commune Youth Union to give native banana varieties, provide technical guidance and connect outputs to people in Pa Lin border village.
Restoring native dwarf banana varieties
Visiting the banana garden on the hillside behind her house, Ms. Ho Thi Loi (34 years old, living in Pa Lin village, A Vao commune) was very excited because the banana garden was growing well. Many trees were bearing new fruit to bring in a second crop in the summer.
While weeding around the banana tree, Ms. Loi calculated how much money she would spend on buying books and clothes for her children at the beginning of the next school year.
In April 2022, Ms. Loi was given 1,000 indigenous dwarf banana trees by the youth of A Vao Border Guard Station in coordination with the commune union, planted on an area of 1.2 hectares. Ms. Loi intercropped cassava on this area, providing double income.
Major Bui Huy Tinh - political commissar of A Vao Border Guard Station - said that this is a native dwarf banana variety, well adapted to local weather and soil, and helps restore the precious, delicious banana variety of the people.
"In addition to supporting 30 million VND for seeds, we also support labor, provide technical guidance and connect output for people," said Major Tinh.
Last year, the banana garden produced 200 bunches of fruit for the first time, helping Ms. Loi earn an additional 20 million VND.
"This is a huge amount of money, meaningful to the people in the border village. I use this money to save to buy school supplies for my children, and buy cajuput seeds to further develop the economy," said Ms. Loi.
Dwarf bananas are intercropped with cassava to provide double income - Photo: HOANG TAO
Replicating banana gardens
Mr. Ho Van Nhiep - Chairman of the People's Committee of A Vao commune - said that after 2 years of testing, the native dwarf banana variety has grown well, providing stable income.
"Banana gardens are a new direction for people to develop the economy. The locality is exchanging, promoting and finding consumption sources to help people. The commune does not have a factory but only private traders, so the price is low. In the coming time, the commune will continue to expand banana gardens to Ro Ro village because the weather is favorable and easy to grow," said Mr. Nhiep.
Major Tinh informed that the station and the commune will expand to other villages about 1-2 hectares in the near future, and at the same time find ways to connect, introduce products, link businesses and schools to increase selling prices for people.
In addition to giving the villagers banana gardens, A Vao Border Guard Station also gave them goats, breeding cows and provided technical support for livestock farming.
The indigenous dwarf banana is a banana variety originating from the southern communes of Dakrong district. After 12-14 months of planting, it will produce stable fruit for 3-4 years. Dakrong district is also turning this agricultural product into an OCOP product.
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