Muong Khuong: The province's key banana production area

Muong Khuong commune currently has more than 1,000 hectares of commercial bananas, of which more than 812 hectares have been harvested, with an average yield of 28 tons/ha. Bananas are asserting themselves as a key crop, helping local people increase their income, moving towards sustainable agricultural economic development.

Previously, the swidden and hilly land of Ms. Leng Thi Pan's family in Nam Chay village was mainly used for growing corn, which had low economic efficiency. With the support of commune officials and technical guidance, the family boldly switched to growing bananas.

Ms. Leng Thi Pan shared: “In the past, my family grew corn mainly for livestock. When the commune sent me to study and saw that many places grew bananas effectively, my family also switched to growing bananas. Currently, my family has 5,000 banana trees, and each year, after deducting expenses, we earn from 300 to 400 million VND.”

Not only Ms. Pan’s family, many households in the commune are also attached to banana trees and have a more stable life than before. Mr. Leng Su Hoa’s family in Lung Phin A village has been growing bananas for nearly ten years, currently has nearly 4 hectares with more than 7,000 trees.

Mr. Hoa shared: “Although banana cultivation requires more care, the income is much higher than traditional crops such as corn and cassava. In addition to the fruit, banana leaves and stems can also be harvested. Dried leaves are bought by traders for 16-20 thousand VND/kg, fresh leaves for 6-8 thousand VND/kg, and banana stems are also purchased by people to use as animal feed. After deducting expenses, the family earns nearly 400 million VND each year.”

Thanks to the obvious economic efficiency, the banana growing area in Muong Khuong is increasingly expanding. Currently, the whole commune has more than 1,000 hectares of bananas, an increase of about 200 hectares compared to 2024, of which 812 hectares have been harvested, with high productivity. Notably, 440 hectares of bananas have been granted growing area codes, creating favorable conditions for official export.

Currently, 90% of the commune's banana output is exported to the Chinese market, the remaining 10% is consumed domestically. On average, each hectare of bananas brings in an income of about 350 million VND/year, many times higher than growing corn and other traditional crops.

To develop banana trees in a sustainable way, Muong Khuong commune has planned concentrated production areas, linked with the development of commodity agriculture and export standards. The commune government reviewed and rearranged the cultivated land area, prioritizing the expansion of growing areas in villages with favorable conditions in terms of land, water resources and transportation.

Along with that, the commune has increased technical training, guided farmers to apply safe planting, care, and pest control processes according to VietGAP; coordinated with specialized agencies to periodically inspect and supervise growing areas that have been assigned codes, ensuring production according to technical processes. Local authorities have also increased connections with businesses and cooperatives to sign contracts to purchase products, helping people feel secure in production, avoiding the situation of "good harvest, low price".

Mr. Pham Duc Trung - Vice Chairman of Muong Khuong Commune People's Committee said: "To develop banana trees sustainably, the commune aims to expand the area associated with diversifying the consumption market, at the same time attracting businesses to invest in local processing and primary processing factories to increase the value of the products. The commune government also encourages farmers to plant in different seasons, arrange the season reasonably to ensure a stable banana supply all year round, meeting the needs of export and domestic consumption."

Banana trees not only help people increase their income but also contribute significantly to the transformation of crop structure, development of commodity agriculture and construction of new rural areas in the Muong Khuong highlands.

With the right orientation, the participation of the government and the efforts of the people, Muong Khuong is gradually affirming its position as a key banana production area of ​​the province, contributing to promoting the development of agricultural economy, creating a new look for the highland border commune.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/muong-khuong-vung-san-xuat-chuoi-hang-hoa-trong-diem-cua-tinh-post887330.html