For many years, pears have become a staple crop, contributing significantly to hunger eradication, poverty reduction, improving people's livelihoods and attracting tourists to this difficult highland area.
Breakthrough from pear tree
Previously, Muong Hum people mainly lived on traditional agriculture such as growing corn, upland rice, cassava, etc., but productivity was low and income was unstable. Meanwhile, the terrain here is mostly rugged hills and mountains, the typical cold climate makes farming difficult, and life is full of deprivation. Since 2009, thanks to support from the implementation of national target programs and the initiative of local authorities in converting crop structure, pear trees have been put into experimental planting to replace traditional low-efficiency crops. With suitable climate and soil, pear trees grow and develop well, opening up new development opportunities for people.
Although the economic efficiency has been confirmed, it is not easy to have a large pear growing area. The Muong Hum people are mainly ethnic minorities with long-standing farming practices that are difficult to change. Recalling the difficult period, comrade Tan Lao San, former Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Nam Pung commune (now Muong Hum commune) said: The People's Committee of the commune organized many meetings with the people, went to each household to propagate, mobilize, and explain the economic efficiency of pear trees. However, many people still firmly refused to participate. But then "slow and steady wins the race", with the perseverance and determination of the local government and the commitment to provide maximum support from seeds, techniques to fertilizers, and the people only needed to take care of them, so some households agreed to participate in trial planting and from the practical effectiveness, their awareness gradually changed.
After that, other households also started to participate. A typical example is the family of Mr. Phung Sin Sieu, a Dao ethnic group, who resolutely refused to convert crops. After being persistently persuaded by the government, Mr. Sieu agreed to try planting a few pear trees. With support from seeds, fertilizers and technical guidance from agricultural extension officers, the pear trees grew well, bore fruit regularly and achieved high quality. From a household participating in the trial planting with little expectation, Mr. Sieu's family has now expanded its acreage, becoming one of the households with the largest pear garden in Muong Hum commune, with an annual income of up to hundreds of millions of VND.
Mr. Sieu is also an active factor in promoting and supporting households in the commune to convert and develop the economy from pear trees. “At first, I only planned to plant them for the sake of it, because local government officials came to promote and mobilize them too much. However, I did not expect that pear trees would like the soil and grow beyond my expectations, so I decided to convert the entire area of my family's hillsides to grow them. Pear trees have helped my family have a new, solid house, and have food and savings,” Mr. Sieu shared.
Enrichment and environmental protection
According to statistics, the entire Muong Hum commune currently has more than 200 hectares of pear trees, providing more than 200 households with stable income. Not only bringing high economic efficiency, pear trees also contribute to environmental protection, water retention, and soil erosion prevention. Many pear growing models combined with community tourism development are being piloted, opening up a new sustainable direction for local people. Chairman of the People's Committee of Muong Hum commune Nguyen Ngoc Minh said: "The pear tree has the VH6 variety, a temperate pear variety that has been researched, bred and put into trial planting in Nam Pung commune, Bat Xat district (now Muong Hum commune).
The advantages of this pear variety are that it grows quickly, is easy to care for, and will be harvested after 4-5 years of planting. The pear has a thin skin, is crispy, has a delicious taste, and is sweet and refreshing, so it is very popular. Thanks to favorable weather, improved care techniques, and support from agricultural extension programs, the 2025 pear crop is estimated to yield about 60 tons in the whole commune. With a garden price of 30,000 VND/kg, pear trees have become the main source of income for many households, contributing to sustainable hunger eradication and poverty reduction.
The locality is currently continuing to promote the agricultural tourism model associated with OCOP products, in which pear trees play a key role. From a poor land, Muong Hum is transforming thanks to pear trees. Not only bringing income, pear trees have become a symbol of innovation in production thinking, a testament to the consensus between the government and the people in the journey to escape poverty and strive for sustainable economic development.
Source: https://nhandan.vn/le-ngot-o-muong-hum-post898090.html
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