Journey out of poverty on the sand
In 1987, Phan Xuan Lam enlisted in the 22nd Armored Brigade, 4th Corps, participating in international service in Cambodia. In 1991, he was discharged and returned to the sandy countryside of Thanh Thuy.
Married to Ms. Le Thi Huong, the young couple initially struggled with the daily problem of "food, clothing, rice, money". At that time, the couple went to the sand dunes to grow sweet potatoes. Ms. Huong went to the market every day from simple products of sweet potato shoots. Sweet potato stems were cut and sold to people to use as green vegetables and for livestock; sweet potato tubers helped to exchange for cans of rice, fish, and meat to improve each meal. It was the years of rolling around on the sand with sweet potatoes that shaped for Mr. and Mrs. Phan Xuan Lam and Le Thi Huong a sustainable economic development direction later - getting rich from sweet potatoes.
 |
| Sweet potato growing area expanded on Cam Hong white sand - Photo: TL |
“Sticking with sweet potatoes, people grow sweet potatoes on the sand like other agricultural products, stuck with the refrain of good harvest but low price. Understanding this, the couple mobilized 7 other families to establish a cooperative to produce and process dried sweet potatoes. Our initial wish was to try to maintain the connection between sweet potato growers; expand the planting area; support each other in production and business; restore and develop the brand of dried sweet potatoes in the sand area... Later, the scale of the cooperative expanded, requiring a change in the production and business model. Therefore, in 2018, Lam Huong Sweet Potato Production, Trading and Service Cooperative was established to meet the needs of purchasing and consuming sweet potatoes; processing and developing products from sweet potatoes, especially raising the brand of Lam Huong dried sweet potatoes in the market”, Mr. Phan Xuan Lam shared.
Since the establishment of the Cooperative, the couple of veteran Phan Xuan Lam has focused on investing in factories, innovating processing technology, purchasing modern machinery and equipment such as: steamers, dryers, potato turning machines, preservation equipment, automatic packaging, innovating product designs, labels, and packaging; mobilizing people to expand raw material areas, applying biotechnology to the planting, fertilizing, and harvesting processes according to VietGAP standards. In addition, the products of dried sweet potatoes, dried sweet potatoes with ginger, mango cakes with sweet potato starch, sliced dried sweet potatoes, sweet potato starch... are all registered for trademarks, codes, barcodes, and geographical indications. In 2019, 2 products of dried sweet potatoes and dried sweet potatoes with ginger of Lam Huong Sweet Potato Production, Trading and Service Cooperative were recognized as 3-star OCOP products at the provincial level.
Each year, the production facility of veteran Phan Xuan Lam's family processes about 40 tons of raw materials, producing 10 tons of various products. Production and business activities achieve a revenue of 900 million VND/year; a profit of 300 million VND/year; creating jobs for 10-15 workers depending on the season with an average income of 4-7 million VND/month.
“But the happiest thing is that Lam Huong brand dried sweet potato products have entered many large supermarket systems, spreading throughout the country and abroad. The previously sunny and windy sandy areas of Quang Binh and now Quang Tri are no longer poor “sweet potatoes, all sweet potatoes” but sweet potatoes are helping people stabilize their household economy, many people escape poverty from white sand and sweet potatoes”, Ms. Le Thi Huong happily said.
 |
| Promoting Lam Huong dried sweet potato brand - Photo: TL |
Covering the sand with sweet potato plants
The sandy area along National Highway 1 through the communes of Hong Thuy, Thanh Thuy, Cam Thuy of the old Le Thuy district (now Cam Hong commune) specializes in growing vegetables and flowers. Deeper towards the sea, only casuarinas are strong enough to withstand the sand drift. When the sandy area is basically "peaceful", the area from the casuarina forest to the residential area becomes a place to grow sweet potatoes, a food crop that once "eliminated hunger" and has now become a "quick poverty reduction" crop for many farming families.
“In Cam Hong commune, there are many effective economic models for war veterans such as forestry seedling production, snakehead fish farming on sand, black apple snail farming, clean vegetable farms and flower growing..., of which Lam Huong sweet potato production and service cooperative is a typical example. War veterans Phan Xuan Lam and his wife Le Thi Huong not only get rich legitimately but also help many other families to stabilize their lives, just as Uncle Ho taught, we must unite closely, love and help each other like brothers and sisters in one family”, commented Mr. Pham Cong Hoi, Vice Chairman of Cam Hong Commune War Veterans Association.
Initially, when Lam Huong Sweet Potato Production and Service Cooperative was formed, the couple of war veterans Phan Xuan Lam and Le Thi Huong signed a contract with the people to plan about 45 hectares of sweet potato cultivation according to VietGAP standards. Over time, with the sustainable growth of the cooperative, the sweet potato growing area gradually expanded. To encourage people to stick with sweet potatoes and at the same time ensure stable market prices, Lam Huong Sweet Potato Production and Service Cooperative completely purchased for about 900 households growing sweet potatoes with an area of 150 hectares. Thanks to good control of the supply source, in addition to stabilizing raw materials for the cooperative's production facility, the couple of war veterans Phan Xuan Lam and Le Thi Huong also supplied raw materials for other sweet potato production facilities in Ninh Chau commune or Dong Hoi ward.
Mr. Nguyen Van Hop, a veteran in Cam Hong commune, successfully started a business by growing casuarina seedlings to cover the white sand and growing sweet potatoes. He shared: “My family has nearly 10,000 square meters specializing in growing sweet potatoes to provide raw materials for Lam Huong Sweet Potato Production and Service Cooperative. Thanks to Mr. Lam and Ms. Huong, who ensure the consumption of sweet potatoes, potato growers are always assured in production, investing in intensive cultivation to increase productivity, contributing to improving living standards, and at the same time greening the white sand area.”
Ngo Thanh Long
Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/kinh-te/202511/cat-trang-chuyen-minh-c6c6d35/
Comment (0)