Nam Ha Cooperative brings gac fruit cultivation to enrich farmers.

From a little-noticed crop, thanks to the right development direction and the support of the Nam Ha Agricultural and Forestry Cooperative in Cu Jut commune, gac fruit is now enriching hundreds of households.

The person who brought the gac fruit tree to Cu Jut

In 2004, veteran Tran Van Dinh spearheaded the effort to mobilize local farmers to establish the Nam Ha Cooperative. In 2010, after researching documents and information about gac fruit products in the media, Mr. Dinh, then the Director of the Nam Ha Cooperative, decided to use his personal funds to visit successful models in northern provinces and work with Vina Gac Company.

Mr. Dinh recognized the potential of the gac fruit tree and decided to buy seedlings from Hung Yen to plant in Cu Jut. He cautiously experimented with the model, developed a production and business strategy, carefully calculated input and output factors, and thoroughly applied scientific and technological advancements to the production process. When the model initially proved effective, he persuaded members and farmers to plant it, guaranteeing a stable market for the product.

The Nam Ha Cooperative in Cu Jut commune has helped hundreds of families develop their economy , earning between 120 and 180 million VND per year thanks to gac fruit cultivation.

A new turning point for gac fruit came in May 2023, when the Farmers' Association of Dak Nong province (formerly) collaborated with GreenFeed Vietnam Joint Stock Company, local authorities, and Nam Ha Cooperative to implement the Gac Livelihood Project for the period 2023-2025, aiming to support people in increasing their sustainable income. 30 households in Cu Jut participated in the project, cultivating gac fruit on 9 hectares. Mr. Le Quy Cuong, a member of the cooperative, utilized his land and old pepper stakes to cultivate over 5 sao (approximately 0.5 hectares) of gac fruit, earning his family 100 million VND annually.

Mr. Nong Van Luan, a member of the cooperative, shared: “I used to grow many kinds of crops, but I finally chose gac fruit because it yields higher income and requires less care.” According to Mr. Luan, from the second year onwards, each plot of gac fruit can yield 3-4 tons of fruit per year. Gac trees are easy to grow, mainly using manure, making them very suitable for farmers with limited capital. Participating households also receive interest-free loans of 25 million VND over 3 years, are provided with seedlings by the Nam Ha Cooperative, receive on-site technical guidance, and have their products guaranteed for purchase.

Mr. Tran Van Dinh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Nam Ha Cooperative, shared his experience in developing diverse products from gac fruit at an event.

Sharing his reasons for choosing to cultivate gac fruit in the Central Highlands, Mr. Dinh said: “Gac fruit is an easy-to-grow plant. It not only thrives in fertile basalt soil but also yields quite well in dry, rocky areas. The cultivation technique is simple, and the investment cost is low, making it suitable for the economic conditions of many farming households. Thinking this way, I boldly chose gac fruit to encourage members and farmers to grow it for economic development.”

From its humble beginnings, over the past eight years, Nam Ha Cooperative has established a stable gac fruit cultivation area of ​​over 100 hectares, involving nearly 200 households. Furthermore, the cooperative provides stable employment for 30 permanent workers with incomes ranging from 7 to 10 million VND per person per month, and over 150 seasonal workers with an income of approximately 70 million VND per person per year.

Gac fruit vermicelli - an OCOP product.

In 2020, amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, the Nam Ha Cooperative faced difficulties due to stalled exports. When the market for gac fruit pulp stalled, the cooperative held an emergency meeting to find solutions for product consumption. "That meeting was like a miniature Dien Hong Conference," Mr. Dinh recalled. As a result, natural gac fruit vermicelli was chosen as the new direction. Initially, everyone was unfamiliar with it.

The first batches of rice noodles were broken and not chewy, discouraging the entire production team. But with determination and creativity, after dozens of trials, the cooperative succeeded in producing gac fruit rice noodles made from specialty ST24 and ST25 rice and fresh gac fruit, which are both visually appealing and nutritious.

Nam Ha Cooperative invests in producing gac fruit vermicelli, achieving OCOP 3-star rating.

In July 2021, the natural gac fruit rice noodles produced by Nam Ha Cooperative were recognized as achieving OCOP 3-star standard, opening up greater sales opportunities. From just a few tons initially, the cooperative now produces up to 12 tons of dried rice noodles per month, with a retail price of over 100,000 VND/kg, mainly sold in Ho Chi Minh City. The cooperative has invested nearly 1 billion VND in building a production line, factory, and greenhouses for drying to increase productivity and ensure product quality.

Not content with just the domestic market, Nam Ha Cooperative is actively researching ways to reduce the packaging volume of dried rice noodles to save on transportation costs and aims to export gac fruit rice noodles in the future. Mr. Dinh shared: “Gac fruit rice noodles are a product suitable for modern consumers, especially office workers who prioritize clean, highly nutritious food. We believe gac fruit rice noodles will soon have a place in both domestic and international markets.”

Gac fruit exports

Nam Ha Cooperative not only focuses on cultivation but also invests heavily in deep processing, especially the membrane of the gac fruit, the part with the highest nutritional content. From 2018 to the present, the cooperative has exported approximately 120 tons of gac membrane to Taiwan and South Korea. Along with gac membrane, the cooperative has also marketed and exported gac essential oil to several countries.

Although the annual export volume of gac fruit oil is only about 1-2 tons, it is opening up opportunities for diversifying gac fruit-based export products. At 70 years old, Mr. Dinh is currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Nam Ha Cooperative. “We have invested in machinery and drying and packaging technology to ensure our products meet export standards. We predict that gac fruit exports will increase significantly in 2025 compared to the previous two years, opening up great prospects for the product,” Mr. Dinh shared.

Mr. Le Quy Cuong, an associate member of the Nam Ha Cooperative, develops his economy through gac fruit cultivation.

Besides traditional channels, Nam Ha Cooperative also proactively uses social media, websites, and e-commerce platforms to promote its products. As a result, many international partners have visited the cooperative to conduct surveys and sign contracts. Currently, Nam Ha Cooperative is expanding its gac fruit cultivation area to Dak Lak and Gia Lai provinces. With an average yield of 20 tons/ha, reaching 40 tons/ha in some areas, and an investment cost of only about 40 million VND/ha/year, gac fruit growers can earn a profit of 120-180 million VND/ha/year.

The gac fruit has helped many households escape poverty and become relatively wealthy. Many households have abandoned less productive crops to switch to gac cultivation, partly because it is easy to grow, less susceptible to pests and diseases, and has low costs, and partly because of the stable market outlet from the Nam Ha Cooperative. In the future, with a sustainable development strategy, product diversification, investment in deep processing, market expansion, and the application of digital technology, the Nam Ha Cooperative will continue to be a shining example of Central Highlands agriculture, where the "red gac fruit" brings green dreams to hundreds of farming households.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/htx-nam-ha-dua-cay-gac-ve-lam-giau-cho-nong-dan-386515.html