Persistent attachment to cinnamon tree

Born in 1972 in a farming family in village 5, Thanh Thinh commune - formerly Dao Thinh commune, Ms. Huan was familiar with the life of the fields and swidden fields since childhood. After finishing high school, she stayed in her hometown and followed her husband to build a family life. In the early years of starting a business, she and her husband worked hard to grow rice, cassava, corn, and plant forests... but poverty still followed, sometimes full, sometimes hungry.

Like many farmers at that time, the only thing she had was her hands, her diligence and her desire to escape poverty. In 2000, after many discussions with her husband and learning about effective production models, she thought of cinnamon - a crop that has been affirming its position and economic value in many localities in the province. At that time, the locality had just begun to encourage people to convert ineffective hilly land to cinnamon cultivation. Not only learning from books, newspapers and television, she also directly met with the commune Farmers' Association officials to consult on the experience and techniques of planting and caring for cinnamon trees.

For Ms. Huan, "If you don't know, ask; if you don't understand, learn; if you don't do, try" - that is the motto that started the journey of developing the forest economy. Initially, she boldly planted 2 hectares of cinnamon. Although she was still confused and had no methodical care techniques, diligence and a spirit of learning helped her family quickly grasp the characteristics of this crop. Cinnamon trees grow quickly, are suitable for the soil and climate, and have few pests and diseases. Seeing the effectiveness, she continued to expand the cinnamon growing area.

Up to now, after more than 20 years of perseverance, her family's cinnamon forest area has reached more than 15 hectares. Not stopping at planting and selling raw materials like many other households, Ms. Huan always wonders how to increase the economic value of cinnamon trees, helping her family escape poverty sustainably while creating jobs for local workers.

In 2010, she decided to invest in opening a cinnamon processing workshop at home, focusing on processing raw cinnamon products such as cinnamon bark slices, cinnamon tubes, and cinnamon sticks to sell to large enterprises such as Son Ha Company and O Lam Company in Van Yen district.

Initially, with only a few workers and a few quintals of cinnamon per day, her cinnamon processing workshop has now grown strongly with a capacity of about 800 tons per year, including the cinnamon output of her family and purchased from local people. The income from processing and selling cinnamon brings her family about 400 - 500 million VND/year - a dream number for many farming households.

Not only stopping at economic value, her cinnamon workshop also creates stable jobs for about 15 local workers with an income of 7 - 8 million VND/person/month. This is not just a number but also a sharing, a heart of someone who knows how to take care of food and clothing for others. In addition to cinnamon trees, she also maintains raising pigs, raising chickens, digging ponds to raise fish, and cultivating rice to create additional sources of income, promoting the strength of comprehensive production in the countryside. The land that used to be barren and rocky has now become a rich, green, fragrant farm.

Not only is she a good businesswoman, Ms. Huan also lives in harmony and is closely attached to the community. She always actively contributes to social activities, from building rural roads, supporting the fund to eliminate dilapidated houses, supporting poor members lacking production materials to activities of the Fatherland Front and local organizations. During the campaigns to donate land to open roads, her family is ready to take the lead, contributing money and labor regardless of the time. "Only when the road is wide can vehicles enter the factory, goods can circulate, and our people can trade" - Ms. Huan said simply, just like the way she has lived and worked for many years.

Mr. Vu Viet Dong - Chairman of Thanh Thinh Commune Farmers' Association commented: "Ms. Tran Thi Huan is a typical example of a farmer who dares to think, dares to do, and boldly changes crops to bring high economic efficiency. Not only does she enrich herself, she also has many positive contributions to the community and the local farmers' movement. Her efforts have contributed to creating the image of a dynamic, creative and responsible farmer."

Before parting, Ms. Huan took us for a walk around the cinnamon hills that were in the harvest season. The scent of cinnamon wafted gently in the wind, imbued with the sweetness of the earth, of the sky and above all, the sweat, effort and aspiration of this woman. Each cinnamon tree contains a story, a testament to the determination and spirit of overcoming difficulties of a simple but extraordinary farmer. Tran Thi Huan - the name is now not only associated with the Tran Yen cinnamon brand but also a symbol for a new generation of farmers: Confident - Creative - Persistent - Loyal.

With her tireless efforts for more than two decades, in 2022, Ms. Tran Thi Huan was honored to receive the title "Outstanding Vietnamese Farmer" from the Central Committee of the Vietnam Farmers' Union (VFU). In addition, she has been awarded certificates of merit many times by the VFU of the province, Tran Yen district, and Thanh Thinh commune for her achievements in labor production, economic development, and new rural construction. For her, the greatest reward is the stability and harmony in her small family. Her two sons are now adults, have stable jobs, and are a great spiritual support to help her continue on the path she has chosen.

Ngoc Son

Source: https://baoyenbai.com.vn/12/349012/Ben-bi-gan-bo-voi-cay-que.aspx