“4-star” Macadamia, a typical product for the livelihood of the M'nong people

Long Viet Cooperative, in Quang Truc commune ( Lam Dong ) produces dried macadamia nuts.

Ms. Thi Nhen, a M'nong in Bu Prang 2 hamlet, Quang Truc commune, is one of the first households to grow macadamia. In 2012, she was given 320 macadamia seedlings to intercrop in her coffee plantation. After a period of care and selection, there are currently 200 trees that are still being harvested. Each year, she harvests 3 tons of fruit. Realizing the potential and advantages of macadamia trees, she invested in planting 1,600 more seedlings.

Ms. Thi Nhen shared, I joined Long Viet Agricultural and Service Cooperative (Long Viet Cooperative) since its establishment. The Cooperative has supported my family with seedlings, deferred payment of fertilizers, technical guidance on care, timely harvesting to ensure quality, and a purchase price higher than the market price.

Also a member of the cooperative, Ms. Thi Nghinh in Bu Lum hamlet, Quang Truc commune said: “In the past, my family had land but lacked capital, so we did not dare to expand production. Thanks to the cooperative's support for input and product consumption, I have been able to plant 150 macadamia trees that are currently being harvested, and another 150 trees are being cared for in the second year.” With 1.5 hectares of land being exploited effectively, Ms. Thi Nghinh's family economy has gradually stabilized.

Long Viet Cooperative, located in Quang Truc commune, after a period of establishment and development, the Cooperative now has 44 members, more than 100 associated households, of which about 60% of the households associated with the Cooperative are local ethnic minorities. The Cooperative has formed a raw material area of more than 700 hectares, of which 200 hectares are macadamia for harvest. The output is about 200 tons/year.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Dung, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Long Viet Cooperative, said that the local characteristics are that most of the M'nong ethnic people live and cultivate. Most local farmers have land for production but lack capital and technology, so they easily abandon or rent out the land.

Understanding this, the cooperative has proactively invested in and supported seedlings and fertilizers, and applied a deferred payment method, helping farmers feel secure in production without financial pressure. Over the past 3 years, the cooperative has provided about 10,000 seedlings, according to the registered needs of associated households.

Not only stopping at supporting seedlings, the cooperative also closely accompanies farmers from planting to caring. The cooperative's technicians provide "hand-on" guidance. At the same time, each year, the cooperative organizes the joint purchase of about 150 tons of organic materials and nearly 1,000 bottles of various biological pesticides to reduce costs and ensure consistent quality for the entire growing area.

The cooperative regularly guides farmers in identifying ripe fruits and harvesting them properly to ensure productivity and seed quality. At the same time, it commits to purchasing at a price 3,000 - 5,000 VND/kg higher than the market price to encourage farmers to follow the production process until harvest.

In addition to building raw material areas, the cooperative has invested in cold storage, green shelling machines, nut splitting machines, macadamia nut dryers, etc. to pre-process and process macadamia nuts. The cooperative sent samples of processed products for evaluation and testing of substance content and nutritional ratio. Through the evaluation results, the cooperative has optimized the processing process and improved product quality. Next, it built product brands, attached traceability stamps and sold them to the market. In early 2025, the cooperative achieved 4-star OCOP certification for dried macadamia products.

Each year, the cooperative supplies the market with about 20 tons of packaged, branded finished products. Currently, the cooperative has sent product samples to major markets and has large export orders to China.

“The cooperative not only aims for economic efficiency but also wants to build an agricultural product brand associated with the livelihoods of the M'nong ethnic group. Macadamia products recognized as 4-star OCOP products at the provincial level are the foundation for developing 5-star products and expanding exports,” Ms. Dung added.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/mac-ca-4-sao-san-pham-dac-trung-voi-sinh-ke-nguoi-m-nong-383270.html