The season of purple sugarcane in Muong Bi

In the early days of 2026, the hillsides of Muong Bi were filled with the laughter and chatter of the people as they entered the harvest season for purple sugarcane. On the gently sloping hillsides of the villages of Don, Chua Bua, Chuong, and Ngay, the deep purple color of the sugarcane stood out against the fertile brown soil, heralding a bountiful harvest.

On the gentle slopes of Chua Bua village, the deep purple color of the sugarcane stands out.

With over 1,000 ^{square meters} of purple sugarcane, the family of Ms. Bui Thi Quyen in Chua Bua hamlet, Muong Bi commune, earned over 20 million VND this year. The sugarcane was purchased by traders directly from the farm at prices ranging from 8,000 to 10,000 VND per stalk. “Sugarcane has been a part of my family for decades. In good years, we have enough income to cover living expenses and pay for our children's education,” Ms. Quyen shared while busily cutting and bundling sugarcane to load onto the traders' trucks.

According to Mr. Bui Van Son, Deputy Head of Chua Bua Hamlet, currently, out of 240 households in the hamlet, more than half are involved in sugarcane cultivation. Many households cultivate large areas, such as the families of Mr. and Mrs. Dinh Thi Que, Ta Van Thanh, and Dinh Cong Ba, who cultivate more than 1 to 2 hectares each...

Sharing with us, Mr. Ta Van Thanh said: "Muong Bi purple sugarcane is very easy to sell, and there's almost no worry about finding buyers. During the peak harvest season, traders come directly to the farm to buy it at a stable price of 8,000 - 10,000 VND per stalk. On average, each hectare of sugarcane cultivation yields about 130 million - 150 million VND. After deducting the costs of seeds, fertilizers, and labor, this is still a guaranteed source of income, much higher than other crops."

With over ^{1000m² of} purple sugarcane planted, Mrs. Bui Thi Quyen's family in Chua Bua hamlet expects to earn more than 20 million VND this year, 3-4 times more than growing rice.

According to Comrade Bui Minh Hong, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Muong Bi commune, purple sugarcane is a crop that has been grown in Muong Bi for a long time. Local people have accumulated experience and a high level of cultivation skills. As a result, Muong Bi purple sugarcane has unique characteristics that are hard to find anywhere else, such as long stalks, a deep purple color, a smooth, soft, glossy stem, and a distinctive sweet and fragrant taste.

“Purple sugarcane is not only an economic crop but also a simple, rustic gift from the countryside, chosen by many as a present during holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year). Sugarcane is suitable for the local soil conditions, easy to grow, requires little care, but yields 3-4 times more income than other crops,” added Comrade Bui Minh Hong.

The purple sugarcane from Muong Bi has long been a famous local product. These sugarcane stalks, nearly 2 meters tall with thick stems and few nodes, are neatly bundled and transported by traders to rural markets, local fairs, and even major cities, becoming a simple yet flavorful gift from the mountains and forests.

Thanks to purple sugarcane, many households in Muong Bi have risen out of poverty.

Currently, sugarcane in Muong Bi is mainly grown in the hamlets of Don, Chua Bua, Chuong, and Ngay. According to statistics, the entire commune has approximately 320 hectares, including 270 hectares of purple sugarcane and about 50 hectares of white sugarcane. Yields and revenue are quite stable, averaging 130-150 million VND per hectare. Over 700 out of 4,480 households in the commune are currently involved in sugarcane cultivation. Sugarcane has made and continues to make a significant contribution to the socio-economic development of the locality; contributing to raising the average per capita income of the commune to 45 million VND by 2025 and reducing the multidimensional poverty rate to 6.16%.

To improve production efficiency, the commune collaborated with the Provincial Center for Application and Innovation to organize a training course on transferring techniques for growing sugarcane using tissue culture, and also provided 25,000 sugarcane seedlings to the people. The restructuring of crop patterns on low-yield rice land continues to be implemented in a way that meets market demands, prioritizing high-economic-value crops, including sugarcane.

In the coming period, Muong Bi commune aims to establish large-scale, concentrated production areas; develop key products, OCOP products, and local specialties in an organic and safe manner, meeting standards such as VietGAP and GlobalGAP. Simultaneously, it will strengthen the building and promotion of brands for the commune's key agricultural products, with purple sugarcane identified as one of the leading and key crops, and expected to continue contributing to the prosperity of the people in their homeland.

Manh Hung

Source: https://baophutho.vn/mua-mia-tim-tren-dat-muong-bi-247324.htm