Young man earns 100 million VND/month from salt-tolerant crops.

Passionate about growing salt-tolerant plants.

Nhut, a young man born in the 1990s from Phu Tan District, owns a 10,000m² plot of land ^where he grows acerola, cherry, and many other crops. This is different. This is the main source of raw materials for him to develop plant-based salt, functional foods, and acerola cherry juice. The combination of plant cultivation and innovation has yielded high economic value. These products not only provide health benefits but also promote sustainable agriculture.

Nhut with his orchard, growing plants like acerola and holly to use as ingredients for processing. PHOTO: GB

Born into a farming family, Nhựt spent his childhood working in the fields and gardens, understanding the hardships his parents faced. Even while still in school, Nhựt realized that education was the quickest way to escape poverty, and that only a change in agricultural mindset could help farmers overcome their difficulties. Driven by this aspiration, after graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering, Nhựt continued his studies in crop cultivation and plant protection in Ho Chi Minh City. During this time, he studied and researched the idea of growing salt-tolerant plants like sea buckthorn and horseshoe crab in Nhà Bè District (Ho Chi Minh City) for salt production.

At that time, saline agriculture was still a relatively new industry worldwide . Nhut and his colleagues spent three years creating a comprehensive scenario, anticipating potential situations and developing solutions to maximize efficiency.

Nhut harvests the wild yam plant to make salt. PHOTO: GB

To gain experience for a project to cultivate and develop salt-tolerant, drought-resistant, high-economic-value crops that are adaptable to climate change, Nhut initially only planted basic crops that could be irrigated with saltwater. Not long after, he and his friends learned about many new crops, then domesticated them to grow on saline soil.

Nhut's initial success lies in producing plant-based salt from sea buckthorn. According to him, plant-based salt, extracted from natural fruits and vegetables, is recommended by doctors because it has a lower sodium content than table salt. Furthermore, plant-based salt... It also contains plenty of potassium, a mineral that helps balance blood pressure and supports the treatment of heart disease.

Developing a private brand

Nhut learned as he went along, investing a lot of effort and money to create the product. Quality. All the young man's efforts paid off when his project won second prize in the Ca Mau province startup idea competition in 2021. Subsequently, the project won first prize in the Mekong Delta Startup Competition in 2021, organized by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Can Tho Branch, in collaboration with the Mekong Delta Startup Network.

Inspecting vegetable salt at the production facility.

PHOTO: GB

Three years ago, Nhut returned to his hometown to establish his own brand, creating opportunities to develop product lines from salt-tolerant plants grown in his region. Nhut is also the first person in Vietnam to develop a brand specializing in salt-tolerant agriculture adapted to climate change.

He has currently researched and developed nearly 20 species of salt-tolerant crops, along with some brackish water crops. Among them are crops that have been successfully grown, such as sea asparagus, purslane, loquat, water spinach, and amaranth. In mid-2022, Nhut decided to invest nearly 3 billion VND to renovate 10,000 m² ^of his family's land to grow amaranth, guava, and cherry trees for raw materials.

Nhut introduced his products at the Spring Homeland 2024 event in Ho Chi Minh City.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE SUBJECT

To ensure a scientific basis and a safe production process for consumers, Nhut hired experts to research the activity of these plants. According to Nhut, the leaves of the Oleander plant contain active compounds that have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects, helping to prevent infections and inflammation. In addition, the plant also has pain-relieving effects and supports the treatment of respiratory, digestive, and cardiovascular diseases.

A few months later, Nhut harvested his first crop of water spinach to make vegetable salt. The salt made from water spinach overcame the shortcomings of some previous types of salt, not only having an attractive appearance but also containing superior minerals, which were well received by customers.

"Syzygium jambos is a very resilient plant in saltwater conditions. 10kg of fresh Syzygium jambos will produce about 200g of salt. Compared to some other plants, making salt from Syzygium jambos is 3-4 times more efficient," Nhut said.

With that success, Nhut invested in modern machinery to produce salt, rosemary tea, and liver detoxification pills. As for the acerola cherry, Nhut has his own line of acerola cherry drinks, made purely from fresh fruit… After deducting expenses, Nhut earns a profit of approximately 100 million VND per month, and his products are in high demand.

Nhut at the Young Entrepreneurs Association networking event.

PHOTO: GB

To meet market demand, Nhut is continuing to invest in expanding his factory, with plans to triple production. To secure a reliable source of raw materials, he also intends to collaborate with local farmers to expand cultivation areas. Currently, several partners are interested in cooperating with Nhut to distribute his salt-tolerant plant-based products abroad.

Besides being the founder of his own brand of salt-tolerant plant products, Nhut is also the Chairman of the Ca Mau Provincial Entrepreneurship Club. Nhut is always ready to share his knowledge in salt-tolerant agriculture with farmers and can transfer his research to other organizations.

"Traditionally, when people mention Ca Mau, they only know about seafood like shrimp and crab, but there haven't been any branded crops originating from saltwater. I've always longed to develop salt-tolerant crop varieties that can produce high-quality products to increase farmers' income," Nhut shared.

Speaking about Nhut's brand building process, Mr. Quach Van An, Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology of Ca Mau province , said: "Nhut is a young man with very creative ideas, suitable for local conditions. His products from salt-tolerant plants are also being positively received by customers."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chang-trai-kiem-100-trieu-dong-thang-tu-cay-trong-chiu-man-18525040313040912.htm