Earn millions of dong every day by hunting for "heavenly blessings" at the beginning of spring.

Putting aside the festive days of Tet, people in the highlands of Kon Tum province flock to the forest to hunt for "gifts from nature" at the beginning of spring. The journey is arduous and dangerous, but it also brings a significant source of income for the people.

In the early days of spring, people in Sa Thầy district, Kon Tum province, flock to the mountains to hunt for rattan shoots, wild bananas, bamboo worms, and various medicinal herbs to sell and earn extra income.

According to Mr. A Niem, a local resident, twice a month, the young men of the village go up the mountain together to search for forest products. They usually hunt for rattan shoots, wild bananas, medicinal herbs, and mushrooms. The work requires physical strength, involving hours of walking, crossing hills and mountains, and wading through small streams...

In the early days of the year, Mr. A Niem and the young people in the village often go to the fields and forests to find and pick wild bananas and rattan shoots. Photo: Chi Anh

Mr. A Niem shared: "Rattan shoots cost about 30,000 VND/bundle, and dried wild bananas cost 50,000 VND/kg. Thanks to these forest products, I earn between 500,000 and 700,000 VND per day. Sometimes, when I'm lucky, I can earn several million VND."

Along the way, Mr. A Niem's ​​group also searched for bamboo worms, insects that often nest inside bamboo stalks.

Another experienced forest worker, Mr. A Chi, said that bamboo worms usually appear from December of the previous year to March of the following year, when the young bamboo plants are tender. Bamboo worms are milky white, with a shiny body, about the size of a chopstick tip, and about two finger lengths long.

Bamboo worms caught from the forest. Photo: Chi Anh

"Not everyone has the chance to catch these worms. It takes experienced people who understand the bamboo worm's reproductive cycle to time their catches. On average, I get 2-3 kg of worms, selling for 200,000-250,000 VND/kg," shared Mr. A Chi.

The profession of hunting for "gifts from nature" has been associated with the local people for many generations, requiring patience, hard work, and always facing danger.

Mr. A Niem confided: "This job is dangerous and requires experience from those who go into the forest. In return, each day spent in the forest can bring in from several hundred thousand to millions of dong. There are also unlucky days when we have to accept returning empty-handed. That's why this is called hunting for the bounty of nature."

Mr. A Chỉ cuts down bunches of wild bananas, brings them home, dries them, and then sells them. Photo: Chí Anh

According to Mr. Vu Van Cuong, Deputy Director of Sa Thay Forestry Company Limited, in early spring, people often go up the mountain in groups of 3 to 5 to find and pick wild bananas, rattan shoots, or mushrooms to earn extra income.

While the harvesting of these forest products is not prohibited or penalized, the company consistently educates and reminds people to avoid excessive and destructive collection that depletes the genetic resources of the ecosystem.

Source: https://baodaknong.vn/kon-tum-kiem-tien-trieu-moi-ngay-nho-san-loc-troi-dau-xuan-242373.html