Chieng Khuong purple sugarcane – sweetness from the borderland

These days, when visiting Chieng Khuong commune, along Highway 4G from the Chieng Khuong border gate intersection, through the central market to Hip village, it is easy to see small roadside shacks selling purple sugarcane, a familiar agricultural product of farmers in the border area. The straight bundles of sugarcane with dark purple skin, neatly tied and displayed on rustic bamboo tables, attract passersby to buy as gifts.

Purple sugarcane in Chieng Khuong commune is intercropped with fruit trees.

Purple sugarcane has been grown in Chieng Khuong since the 1980s, when Hung Yen people came to reclaim the land and brought the seeds back to plant. Over time, purple sugarcane has adapted well to the climate and soil of the border area. With careful care by the people, regular watering and organic fertilizer, it has grown strongly and has a high yield.

Currently, the whole commune has nearly 7 hectares of purple sugarcane, planted scattered in the villages of Chieng Khuong, Co and Hip, La, Bo, Quyet Thang, Ten Panh. The yield is about 30 tons/ha, bringing in about 160 million VND/ha. The plant has its own characteristics: straight stem, dark purple skin, sweet taste, crispy, light aroma, favored by the market. Purple sugarcane is usually planted by farmers in April and harvested from October to December every year.

Officials of the Economic Infrastructure Department of Chieng Khuong commune guide farmers on purple sugarcane care techniques.

Coming to Co village, the atmosphere of harvesting is bustling all over the sugarcane fields. People are busy pruning leaves, cutting plants, and tying them into bundles to prepare for sale to traders. Mr. Ha Van Inh, Party cell secretary and head of Co village, shared: Along with longan trees, purple sugarcane has helped increase people's income. Currently, the village has about 10 households growing purple sugarcane with an area of ​​over 3 hectares. In the past three years, Chieng Khuong purple sugarcane has been known to traders inside and outside the province, who buy it right there. Right from the beginning of the season, the village has encouraged people to take good care of the sugarcane, and at the same time contributed to repairing and expanding the internal road for purchasing vehicles to go to the fields.

People of Co village, Chieng Khuong commune take care of purple sugarcane.

As the household with the largest sugarcane growing area in the village, Ms. Lo Thi Kim's family has 8,000 m² of purple sugarcane fields. Ms. Kim said: Purple sugarcane is easy to grow, has few pests and diseases, and is suitable for the local climate and soil. My family proactively waters and mounds the roots so that the plants grow straight. Each year, we harvest about 10,000 sugarcane plants, selling them in the field for 10,000 VND/plant. After expenses, the income is over 80 million VND.

Right next door, Ms. Quàng Thị Thìn’s family is also busy harvesting sugarcane. Ms. Thìn said: “Previously, growing corn yielded low income. This year, my family converted 2,000 m² of land to grow purple sugarcane. Although newly planted, the yield is not high yet, but we expect to harvest more than 3,000 plants, bringing in about 25 million VND.”

Farmers in Chieng Khuong commune harvest purple sugarcane.

Not only does it bring in income, purple sugarcane is also contributing to changing the appearance of rural border areas. The hills of purple sugarcane, with strong stalks and green leaves, create a cool green landscape along the river and road. Every harvest season, throughout the village, motorbikes and trucks are busy carrying sugarcane.

In addition to selling to traders, people also set up temporary shelters along the national highway, cutting bundles and peeling sugarcane to sell to passersby, creating a bustling atmosphere. Ms. Cam Thi Chinh, from Chieng Khuong village, shared: I started selling sugarcane at the beginning of October, selling an average of more than 100 kg of sugarcane per day, and sometimes the goods sold out early because passersby bought a lot as gifts.

Chieng Khuong purple sugarcane is sold by retailers along National Highway 4G.

Realizing the potential of purple sugarcane, the People's Committee of Chieng Khuong commune has encouraged farmers to expand their acreage, apply technical advances, care according to VietGAP standards, link product consumption, and gradually form concentrated commodity production areas. At the same time, the commune coordinates with functional departments to support brand building, register the collective trademark "Chieng Khuong purple sugarcane", and link production with OCOP product development.

Customers choose to buy purple sugarcane as gifts.

Mr. Nguyen Cong Vien, Chairman of the People's Committee of Chieng Khuong Commune, affirmed: Purple sugarcane is bringing stable income to farmers. In the coming time, the commune plans to expand concentrated growing areas, strengthen product promotion and advertising, and aim to build a unique brand for the border area.

The vast purple sugarcane fields, located between fruit orchards, have become a familiar image of the Chieng Khuong border area. When the first cold winds of the season blow, people start cutting leaves, peeling off stems, and selecting each shiny sugarcane to display for sale along Highway 4G. The sweet, crunchy taste of Chieng Khuong purple sugarcane has become a familiar taste for tourists every time they visit the border area.

Source: https://baosonla.vn/nong-nghiep/mia-tim-chieng-khuong-ngot-lanh-tu-vung-dat-bien-cuong-madbV5kvR.html