A time of war, a life of building

Returning to his hometown after 16 years of military service with a 61% disability, 2/4 disabled soldier Nguyen Huu Hong, born in 1955 in Zone 10, Phong Chau Ward, always kept in mind President Ho Chi Minh's teaching "disabled but not useless". He gathered people in the commune to establish Phu Thinh Tea Production and Processing Cooperative, contributing to bringing Phu Thinh tea village products far and wide.

Mr. Hong's family's tea garden is grown according to BFV organic process.

From the application "falsely declaring" age...

Sipping a cup of fragrant green tea, a 4-star OCOP product of Phu Thinh Tea Production and Processing Cooperative, which is also the only product that can only be grown at home, Mr. Nguyen Huu Hong, Director of Phu Thinh Tea Production and Processing Cooperative, recalls the time when he secretly wrote a volunteer application to go to war without his family's knowledge: "In the early 70s of the last century, listening to the sacred call of the Fatherland, the young people in my village eagerly went to war. Seeing the heroes bravely going to war, I was also very excited, but because I was not old enough, I had to wait for the next batches." Stopping to sip tea, recalling the past, Mr. Hong excitedly recounted: In early 1972, I was just over 16 years old, full of youthful energy, I was determined to secretly write a application from my family, increasing my age by 2 years to be able to go to war against the Americans. The day I received the application, I was afraid my mother would be sad and didn't dare tell me. I planned to hide it from my family and go, but then my mother found out. She hugged me and said, "If you have decided to go protect the Fatherland, you must try until your last breath and not desert."

Phu Thinh Tea Production and Processing Cooperative invests fully in tea production equipment to ensure quality.

After 6 months of training in Thai Nguyen, in July 1973, young man Nguyen Huu Hong was mobilized to the Binh Tri Thien Hue front, unit C3D1, Battalion 15N, Regiment 4, Tri Thien Hue Military Region, with the task of mine clearance. After the liberation of the South and the reunification of the country, the unit continued to stay to clear mines and build Tram dam in Tich Tuong area, Nhu Le commune, Quang Tri town at that time. In 1978, he was promoted to attend the Sergeant class in Binh Dinh. In February 1979, he was appointed as Captain of Company C3V1E4F337, Military Region I. He then went to the North to protect the northern border and was stationed in Lang Son to protect the Dong Dang area of Battalion 1E4F337, Military Region I. In 1984, in a battle, he was wounded in the head and arm, the wound penetrated his lungs and was transferred to Hospital 110 in Bac Ninh for treatment. After recovering, he returned to his unit. In October 1988, he was discharged from the army and returned to his locality, enjoying the 2/4 disabled soldier regime.

Patting his right shoulder, Mr. Hong said: It has been more than 40 years, but every time the weather changes, my arm aches. Currently, there is still a piece of bomb in the ulna bone of my right arm, preventing me from raising my right arm straight. However, I always keep in mind Uncle Ho's teaching "a war invalid is disabled but not useless", trying to participate in developing the family economy , contributing to the development of my homeland.

Come to build Phu Thinh tea brand

The cooperative's tea products are recognized as 3-star and 4-star OCOP.

After returning to his hometown after being discharged from the army, Mr. Hong was determined to use tea trees as a source of income for his family. He confided: “My village is in the poor midlands, only tea trees are suitable for the soil and climate, but because the people here lack experience in caring for and selecting varieties, the effectiveness of tea trees is not high.”

With the determination to get rich from tea, Mr. Hong actively participated in training courses and then traveled to Tan Cuong tea area, Thai Nguyen to learn about growing, processing and developing tea production and processing models. From 1 hectare of tea grown by his family, he gradually expanded the area to 3 hectares. Mr. Hong added: With the desire to build a prestigious tea brand, develop stably and bring high economic efficiency, I and some enthusiastic members in the craft village applied to establish Phu Thinh Tea Production and Processing Cooperative. On August 20, 2016, the cooperative was established with 14 members, I have been the director since then.

Tea packaging ensures proper process and retains flavor.

From the early days of establishment with many difficulties, up to now, Phu Thinh Tea Production and Processing Cooperative has had 4 OCOP products, including 1 4-star product which is fragrant green tea, 3 3-star products: Phu Ho green tea, Phu Ho specialty green tea, Phu Ho premium green tea. The Cooperative grows clean tea according to organic processes, tea products bring high economic efficiency. Currently, the Cooperative manages more than 25 hectares of tea growing area, producing 50 tons of dry tea each year to supply the domestic market. In addition, the Cooperative also produces cuttings, selling an average of 40 tons each year. After deducting expenses, the Cooperative earns 1.8 billion VND each year.

From a young man who "falsified" his age to join the army to fight the enemy, returning to civilian life with a wound on his arm, disabled soldier Nguyen Huu Hong has promoted the qualities of a soldier of Uncle Ho's army, making efforts in life to prove that "disabled soldiers are disabled but not useless".

Le Thuong

Source: https://baophutho.vn/mot-thoi-chinh-chien-mot-doi-dung-xay-236587.htm