Starting a business from growing bamboo

gen-n-z7104300465468_01f4ad8e4bd879302356971f941b71ef.jpg — Ms. Giang's bamboo garden

After the first rains of the season, Ms. Giang’s family’s 3-year-old bamboo garden is lush green. Bamboo shoots grow thickly, and her parents are busy harvesting and boiling bamboo shoots to sell to restaurants and markets in the commune. “Previously, I grew dragon fruit on this land, but the trees were old, the investment cost was high, and the price was unstable. I decided to switch to other crops to find a new direction for the family economy ,” Ms. Giang recalls.

From her research on newspapers, radio, and the internet, she learned about the four-season bamboo, a bamboo species originating from Taiwan, easy to grow, adaptable, and producing shoots all year round. She boldly borrowed 50 million VND from the Social Policy Bank's job creation loan fund and then ordered 600 four-season bamboo seedlings in Duc Linh to plant on 6 sao of land.

Thanks to perseverance and hard work, after more than 3 years of taking root, the four-season bamboo garden has brought about clear results. According to Ms. Giang, the four-season bamboo is planted for about 8 months to start harvesting the first batch of bamboo shoots, from the 10th month onwards, each bamboo bush can produce 10 bamboo shoots/month, each bamboo shoot weighs from 1.5 kg or more. The selling price of bamboo shoots ranges from 20,000 - 45,000 VND/kg, depending on the time. In addition to fresh bamboo shoots, each year she also grows thousands of seedlings to sell on the market at 25,000 VND/branch, bringing in a significant source of income.

Bamboo trees can be harvested for bamboo shoots almost all year round, about 10 months continuously, with only 2 months off to change leaves. According to Ms. Giang, growing bamboo for bamboo shoots does not require complicated techniques, just mastering some basic operations in the care process. Growers need to clear away ineffective branches to keep the bamboo garden airy, and at the same time, mound up the base and keep it moist regularly to stimulate the growth of young bamboo shoots. Each year, old bamboo trees should be cut down, only 2-3 healthy trees should be kept in each bush so that young bamboo can grow quickly and the bamboo shoots can be big and plump.

“The four-season bamboo shoots have green skin, no hair, white flesh, sweet taste and not bitter like many other types of bamboo shoots. When boiled, the bamboo shoots have a beautiful natural yellow color. In particular, the bamboo tree is almost free of pests and diseases, so I do not use pesticides. The bamboo shoots harvested and sold on the same day are always fresh and delicious, so customers really like them,” Ms. Giang shared.

Ms. Le Thi Duc Thanh - Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee, Chairman of the Women's Union of Ham Thuan Nam commune commented: "This is the first model of growing bamboo in the commune. After more than 3 years, the results show that bamboo is very suitable for the local climate and soil conditions, bringing stable income to growers. Many farmers have come to visit, learn and buy seeds for further development."

With her diligence and innovative spirit, Ms. Vo Bao Giang not only takes control of her family's economy but also inspires green startups for many women in rural Ham Thuan Nam.

“
Growing four-season bamboo costs little, is not picky about soil, has few pests, requires little care, and has a stable output. Once planted, four-season bamboo can yield bamboo shoots for over ten years, bringing long-term economic efficiency. This is a new direction, suitable for rural women.
Ms. Vo Bao Giang shared

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/khoi-nghiep-tu-trong-tre-tu-quy-395593.html