Wind ginger tree opens the way out of poverty

( Quang Ngai Newspaper) - With the right orientation and development of the locality, the ginger tree has become a tree that opens a way out of poverty for the Cor people in Tra Bong district.

Expand the area

In recent years, instead of just growing ginger in small quantities for family consumption, many households in Son Tra and Huong Tra communes (Tra Bong) have focused on expanding the area of ginger cultivation to develop the family economy . “Growing ginger requires a small area of land and is easy to care for. Normally, the price of ginger is about 60,000 VND/kg, but near Tet, the price of ginger is up to more than 100,000 VND/kg. On average, each hectare, after deducting costs, makes a profit of more than 70 million VND. Traders come and buy all the ginger as soon as it is harvested, so people are very secure and do not have to worry about output,” said Mr. Ho Van Nghia, in Tra Xuong village, Son Tra commune.

Mr. Ho Van Thao, in Tra Ong village, Son Tra commune, said that compared to acacia trees, wind ginger trees are much more economically efficient. Ginger can be harvested after about 1 year of planting, and the selling price is high. Meanwhile, acacia trees can only be harvested after 5 years.

Tra Bong wind ginger becomes a typical OCOP product of the province.

Realizing that ginger is popular in the market and familiar to local people, Tra Bong district has included this native plant in the list of priority crops for development. Chairman of Tra Bong district People's Committee Hoang Anh Ngoc said that 6 communes in the western region of the district, namely Son Tra, Huong Tra, Tra Phong, Tra Xinh, Tra Thanh and Tra Tay, have zoned off 20 hectares for ginger cultivation, with the aim of expanding to 25 hectares by 2025 and 30 hectares by 2030. Developing ginger into a commodity product is not only aimed at diversifying livelihoods and generating income for local people, but also at protecting and conserving this valuable native plant's genetic resources.

Product Enhancement

Along with expanding the area of ginger growing, the authorities and people of Tra Bong district also unanimously built a brand for the traditional plant of their homeland. Thanks to that, this medicinal plant is increasingly affirming its position in the market.

At the end of 2022, Tra Bong wind ginger was recognized as a product that met the provincial 3-star standard of the One Commune One Product (OCOP) Program. As the subject, Son Tra Agricultural Cooperative (Son Tra commune) has linked up with nearly 30 local households to develop a 6-hectare wind ginger material area and build a product that meets provincial OCOP standards.

Since 2022, Hoang Linh Biotech Company - a business operating in production and business based on commercialization of scientific research and technology transfer in Ho Chi Minh City has also chosen Tra Bong as a locality to link, transfer science and technology, and develop raw material production areas. According to Hoang Linh Biotech Company, the content of medicinal essence in wind ginger grown in the western communes of Tra Bong is 400 times higher than that of normal ginger. Tra Bong has advantages in climate, soil and medicinal plant genetic resources that not every locality in the country has.

In early 2023, after a period of cooperation and support for local people to grow wind ginger, Hoang Linh Biotech Company informed that the Tay Tra cordyceps ginger rice product, with the main ingredient made from Tra Bong wind ginger, had the first shipments exported abroad. From the initial results achieved in development, wind ginger is expected to be a poverty reduction plant, bringing a good income to the people of Tra Bong highlands.

Article and photos: DONG YEN

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