Poverty reduction trees in Tri Phu

In recent years, bamboo, grown for its shoots, has become a "poverty-alleviating crop" for the people of Tri Phu commune. From vast forests of various bamboo species to drying ovens burning day and night, bamboo is writing a story of life transformation for hundreds of households in this highland region.

Báo Tuyên Quang•01/01/1970

Mr. Ma Van Duy, from Tien Thanh 1 village, Tri Phu commune, is tending his bamboo garden.

Mr. Ma Van Duy, from Tien Thanh 1 village, Tri Phu commune, is tending his bamboo garden.

From native plants to OCOP products

Heading up to Ban Tat village in Tri Phu commune, the story of the virgin bamboo is intertwined with the memories of many generations of Dao people here. Mr. Trieu Van Thang, owner of the Trieu Thang Virgin Bamboo Shoot business, recounts: In the past, Ban Tat forest was teeming with virgin bamboo, and these forests sustained the Dao people through difficult times of food scarcity. However, people only knew how to exploit it without preserving it, and over time, the forests aged, died, and withered away. The land of Ban Tat became barren, and floods ravaged it.

To obtain bamboo shoots, the villagers whispered to each other about going to the forest to dig up young bamboo shoots that had regenerated and planting them around their houses. From these initial young bamboo roots, after only one or two years, countless plump, tall bamboo shoots sprouted. Thus, the area of bamboo in the Dao ethnic village gradually increased year by year. Today, Ban Tat village has nearly 100 hectares of bamboo, with some households having a few dozen plants and others nearly ten hectares. Depending on the season, the villagers harvest bamboo shoots, gather leaves, and sell the stalks; the bamboo has become a source of livelihood, providing shelter for the entire village.

Born and raised in pristine bamboo forests, Trieu Van Thang understands better than anyone the sweet and savory taste that this native plant offers. His family has a long tradition of making dried bamboo shoots, but what worries him is that although Ban Tat dried bamboo shoots are highly valued for their quality and flavor, sales remain unstable because they depend entirely on traders, and therefore the income of the local people is not sustainable.

Determined to change, Thang spent over a year diligently searching for a way to build his own brand. In 2022, his product "Trieu Thang's Trinh Bamboo Shoots" was officially recognized by the People's Committee of Tuyen Quang province as a provincial-level OCOP product, achieving a 3-star rating.

Currently, Mr. Thang's facility has invested in two boiling and two drying ovens with a capacity of up to 600 kg per day. Each year, the factory imports over 30 tons of fresh bamboo shoots and produces more than 2 tons of dried bamboo shoots; in the past year alone, it consumed nearly 40 tons of fresh bamboo shoots and processed nearly 3 tons of dried bamboo shoots. The products are widely distributed to consumers in the province and many other provinces and cities such as Hanoi , Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc, Thai Nguyen, Hai Duong, and Nam Dinh. Mr. Thang also actively brings his products to trade fairs and seminars to introduce and promote his hometown's bamboo shoot brand to a wider market.

Not only did he enrich his family, but he also bought fresh bamboo shoots from villagers, creating stable jobs for many local workers and opening up a path for a sustainable green economy right in this highland region.

Also in Ban Tat village, the kitchen of Mrs. Vu Thi Sinh's family is bustling with activity day and night. Mrs. Sinh's family owns about 5 hectares of bamboo, and in addition to harvesting from their own land, they also buy fresh bamboo shoots from other villagers. On average, each season, the family dries over 20 tons of fresh bamboo shoots and sells 2 tons of dried bamboo shoots at prices ranging from 140,000 to 160,000 VND per kilogram, earning a profit of over 200 million VND per year. The bamboo shoots are bought up as soon as they are harvested, sometimes there isn't enough to meet demand.

Mr. Hoang Van Chan, Party Secretary and Head of Ban Tat village, said: Ban Tat currently has more than a dozen households that have built bamboo shoot drying kilns. The dried bamboo shoot processing industry starts at the end of May in the lunar calendar and lasts for about four months. Many households earn over 100 million dong in profit after each harvest, such as the households of Ms. Ban Thi Tien, Ms. Ban Thi Xuan, Mr. Hoang Van Tich, and Mr. Hoang Van Hoan. Thanks to bamboo shoots, on average, 3 to 5 households in the village escape poverty each year; to date, only 4 poor households remain in the entire village.

The traditional processing methods ensure the safety of dried bamboo shoots in Tri Phu.

The traditional processing methods ensure the safety of dried bamboo shoots in Tri Phu.

Making a fortune from bamboo

The movement to plant bamboo for shoots is spreading throughout Tri Phu commune, not just in Ban Tat village. In Tien Thanh 1 village, Mr. Ma Van Duy's family has been cultivating over 1 hectare of bamboo since 2022. This species is easy to care for, thrives in the highland climate, and grows well. By 2024, Mr. Duy began harvesting his first 0.3 hectares of bamboo shoots, yielding 4,000 kg of fresh bamboo tubers. With selling prices ranging from 25,000 to 30,000 VND/kg, his family earned over 100 million VND. Mr. Duy said that this year he plans to harvest an additional 0.5 hectares and utilize social media to sell his products to Bac Ninh and Bac Giang provinces, where they are consistently in high demand.

Mr. Ha Trong Mong, Chairman of the Tri Phu Commune Farmers' Association, shared: "The entire commune currently has over 300 hectares of bamboo for shoot production, concentrated in the villages of Ban Tat, Na Coong, Tien Thanh 1, and Ban Cham, with more than 160 households participating. People are confident in their production because the bamboo species doesn't require much care, and the harvest season lasts from June to September. The distinctive feature of Tri Phu dried bamboo shoots is that they are entirely processed manually, with thick flesh, a bright yellow color, and a very characteristic mild aroma. The commune has created conditions for people to expand the planting area according to the plan, while closely combining scientific and technical methods with traditional production experience. As a result, many households achieve incomes ranging from 50 million to over 300 million VND per bamboo shoot harvest."

In the coming period, the commune will continue to encourage people to expand the planting area in accordance with the plan; at the same time, strengthen support for loans, technology transfer and connection to consumption markets to make bamboo for shoots a key crop in sustainable green economic development in the locality.

From once pristine bamboo forests that were thought to be on the verge of extinction, the people of Tri Phu have learned to revive them, transforming their local potential into a sustainable livelihood. Bamboo is truly becoming a "poverty reduction crop" in the highlands of Tuyen Quang.

Text and photos: Ly Thu

Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/kinh-te/202605/cay-giam-ngheo-o-tri-phu-fc27318/