Innovating thinking, developing a sustainable economy.

Building on the revolutionary traditions of its homeland, Tan Trao commune is constantly innovating its thinking, developing concentrated commodity economic models, and linking production along the value chain, gradually realizing the goal of increasing income and achieving sustainable poverty reduction.

People in Tan Trao commune are harvesting tea.

Pioneering models

Visiting Tan Trao today, traveling along the long stretches of concrete roads, one can gaze into the distance at the lush green tea hills and vast production forests. The most noticeable change in the lives of the people here is their production mindset: a shift from self-sufficient, fragmented production to large-scale commodity production, applying advanced science and technology.

The family of Mr. Bang Minh Hanh, in Khuon He village, is one of the pioneering households on that journey. Previously, his family mainly grew acacia, cassava, and lemongrass – crops with low economic efficiency and many risks. Recognizing the potential of tea cultivation, he boldly converted his entire area to hybrid tea varieties such as DP1, DP2, and Ngoc Thuy. In 2022, with government investment in building a central water reservoir in the highlands, along with technical support from the provincial agricultural sector, Mr. Hanh decided to spend 400 million VND to install a water pipeline and drip irrigation system for his entire 5 hectares of tea.

Thanks to this, the family harvests 40 to 50 tons of fresh tea leaves each year, achieving a revenue of over 200 million VND. Mr. Hanh shared: "Besides proactively investing in technology, my family also participates in training courses organized by the commune and province, helping to improve our skills in caring for and harvesting tea plants to ensure quality. Thanks to tea cultivation, my family has risen out of poverty and also created seasonal jobs for dozens of local laborers."

Besides tea cultivation, beekeeping is also opening up a promising career path. Mr. Trieu Sinh Tien, Director of the Tan Trao High-Quality Beekeeping Cooperative, currently raises 50 bee colonies. With a selling price of 200,000 VND/liter, his revenue reaches nearly 100 million VND per year.

Mr. Tien said: The cooperative was established in 2018 with 10 members, specializing in beekeeping, selling bee colonies and bee products. Previously, although the entire commune had more than 100 households raising bees, they all produced on a small scale, mainly for family consumption, and the quality of honey was not strictly controlled. Since joining the cooperative, many households have developed to more than 40 bee colonies, with a harvest yield of up to 2,000 liters of honey per year. Currently, Tan Trao honey products have been recognized as achieving OCOP 3-star standard.

Mr. Bang Minh Hanh in Khuon He village, Tan Trao commune, has increased his income from tea cultivation.

Raising incomes and reducing poverty sustainably.

To develop a sustainable economy, Tan Trao commune focuses on mobilizing people in the villages to promote trade, services, and small-scale industries; expanding the area of ​​tea and fruit trees; developing livestock farming, beekeeping for honey production, and forest protection. In addition to intensive cultivation of over 764 hectares of rice paddies, the commune currently has over 440 hectares of tea, yielding nearly 2,300 tons of fresh tea leaves annually; and nearly 110 hectares of sugarcane, producing over 6,600 tons per year.

Agricultural and forestry production focuses on key products of high value and quality. To date, the commune has 5 products recognized under the OCOP program: Tan Trao honey, Tham Lien herbal wine, Tam Tra green tea, Trung Long tea (all achieving OCOP 3-star), and Ngoc Thuy tea (OCOP 4-star). Production and consumption linkages are facilitated by the role of cooperatives and businesses, with the entire process from cultivation and processing to harvesting strictly managed, ensuring consistent and stable quality.

Mr. Trieu Sinh Tien, Director of Tan Trao High-Quality Beekeeping Cooperative, harvests honey.

In particular, thanks to support from national target programs on sustainable poverty reduction, new rural development, and socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, Tan Trao has created a solid foundation for comprehensive development. As the first commune in Tuyen Quang province to be recognized as meeting new rural standards, after the merger, Tan Trao continues to maintain its development momentum, achieving all 19/19 new rural criteria. Average per capita income reached 52 million VND/person/year; the poverty rate decreased to 5.83%.

Mr. Hoang Van Canh, Vice Chairman of the Tan Trao Commune People's Committee, said: Tan Trao Commune aims to raise the average per capita income to 97 million VND/year by 2030; achieve a total food production of over 7,000 tons; and reduce the number of poor households by 3% annually. To realize this goal, the locality will continue to plan agricultural production towards commercialization; promote the application of science and technology; build brands and trace the origin of products; expand FSC forest certification; and encourage organic and environmentally friendly production.

The commune has identified a key area for improvement: raising awareness among the people, helping ethnic minorities understand their rights and responsibilities, and thereby proactively playing a leading role in the production chain. This is the key to Tan Trao maintaining its growth rate, realizing the goal of sustainable poverty reduction, and building an increasingly prosperous and beautiful homeland.

Text and photos: Ly Thu

Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/kinh-te/202605/doi-moi-tu-duy-phat-trien-kinh-te-ben-vung-efc059c/