A breath of fresh air from the Sen Van Dai Cooperative model.

Báo Thái Bình•13/05/2023

Resolution No. 09-NQ/TU, dated January 20, 2020, of the Provincial Party Committee's Standing Committee on focusing leadership and direction on the transformation of crop structure on inefficient rice-growing land in the period 2020-2025, with orientation to 2030, is considered a "new breeze" that ignites the aspiration to promote sustainable agricultural development. The Sen Van Dai Cooperative model in Chi Hoa commune is a prime example of the correct implementation of crop structure transformation in Hung Ha district.

Members of the Sen Van Dai Cooperative are taking care of lotus flowers.

Previously, the Cua Mieu field in Van Dai village, Chi Hoa commune, was a low-lying, acidic, waterlogged area where rice cultivation was inefficient. Responding to the Provincial Party Committee's Resolution No. 09, the Van Dai Lotus Cooperative was established with the idea of propagating and developing lotus plants to create a new production model. After a short period of planning and improvement, the cooperative converted 6 hectares of unproductive rice land to cultivate various types of lotus and ornamental plants. On this land, the cooperative divided it into many plots, each planted with a different lotus variety for harvesting flowers, seeds, rhizomes, tubers, and for ornamental purposes. Each variety possesses the following qualities: beautiful color, fragrant aroma, and long-lasting beauty. To ensure the highest quality and efficiency of lotus cultivation, from the very beginning of planting, the cooperative's technical staff had to research and improve the soil to suit the conditions, select new, imported lotus varieties, and apply proper cultivation techniques with an investment of 30-40 million VND per sao (approximately 1000 square meters)...

Ms. Nguyen Thi Chien, Deputy Director of the Sen Van Dai Cooperative, said: The cooperative regularly organizes training sessions for its members on planting and caring for lotus according to proper technical procedures, focusing on transferring scientific and technical knowledge on proper preservation, harvesting, and product consumption. Currently, the lotus variety grown for tea-making yields approximately 40,000 flowers per 1,000 square ^meters in 6 months; the lotus variety grown for seeds has a fruit setting rate of 98%, used to process lotus milk, lotus jam, and lotus nutritional powder. For the lotus variety grown for rhizomes, an average harvest of 150-200 kg/ha is obtained per crop. For the lotus variety grown for tubers, after nearly 3 months, tubers can be harvested with a yield of 9-10 tons/ha, selling at 40,000-45,000 VND/kg, averaging an income of 300-400 million VND per hectare. As for ornamental lotus varieties, their long flowering period makes them ideal for tourists to visit and experience. Not only raw products but also processed products such as lotus-infused tea, lotus stems, and pickled lotus roots are supplied to the market by the cooperative.

The Van Dai lotus pond attracts a large number of tourists who come to experience it.

Each day, the cooperative supplies and sells approximately 500-1,000 lotus flowers of various types, 200 kg of lotus tubers and sprouts; and each month, it sells 4 tons of lotus leaves to support the production of medicinal herbs. Notably, the cooperative also exports 2 tons of lotus tubers to Japan, marking the first step in its future plan to export lotus to foreign markets. The successful production and business not only provides a decent income for the cooperative members but also creates jobs for 20 local workers.

Besides traditional methods of connecting with and introducing products, the cooperative has quickly reached the market through websites, Facebook, etc., where customers can easily find information and order the cooperative's products. After 3 years of operation, the Sen Van Dai Cooperative has become known to many locals and tourists not only for its lotus products but also as an attractive ecological area with beautiful, pristine landscapes in the countryside. Visiting during the lotus blooming season, tourists can admire and take photos with the vibrant lotus and water lily flowers, their fragrant scent covering the water's surface.

Mr. Nguyen Ba Trung, a tourist from Hanoi, shared: "Visiting the Van Dai lotus model, we were truly amazed by the pure beauty of the countryside here. The model is well-planned, from the arrangement of lotus planting areas to each type of plant. It feels very pleasant and comfortable. This will be an attractive destination for tourists to experience. In addition, the lotus products are also very appealing to us."

Signed an agreement for cooperation in the production, processing, and marketing of Tan Cang (Thai Nguyen) tea flavored with Van Dai lotus flowers.

Recently, the Sen Van Dai Cooperative also signed contracts to transfer lotus cultivation techniques to several businesses and households in Thai Nguyen province; and signed a cooperation agreement with the Center for Ornamental Plants and Fine Arts Science (Vietnam Ornamental Plants Association) to produce, process, and trade Tan Cuong tea (Thai Nguyen) scented with Van Dai lotus...

Associate Professor, Dr. Dang Van Dong, Deputy Director of the Institute of Vegetable and Fruit Research and Head of the Ornamental Plants Committee - Vietnam Ornamental Plants Association, shared: To ensure the Van Dai Lotus Cooperative achieves high economic efficiency combined with experiential tourism and product development, the cooperative needs to continue consolidating and developing its crops to perfection through specialized cultivation; focus on linkages, consumption, creating designs, and promoting products in domestic and international markets; build a brand for its products, not only promoting them in the domestic market but also expanding to potential international markets, gradually affirming the quality of Vietnamese lotus in the global market.

Sen Vân Đài Cooperative converted 6 hectares of low-lying, unproductive land to cultivate lotus and water lilies.

Not only developing in Chi Hoa commune, the Van Dai Lotus Cooperative has also expanded its lotus cultivation to an additional 2 hectares in Hong Viet commune (Dong Hung district). Thanks to the ingenuity of the farmers, after 3 years of transformation and improvement, this area has become a field full of lotus flowers, water lilies, and various fruit trees laden with fruit. With a rational approach, applying new and advanced scientific and technical knowledge to production, coupled with appropriate management methods, the model of converting low-lying, unproductive land to lotus cultivation by the Van Dai Lotus Cooperative is certainly opening up a path that brings benefits in both economic and social aspects.

Thanh Thuy

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