The people of An Luong have become wealthy from growing cinnamon.

>> Many people in An Luong are really rich now!

>> The dynamism of An Luong

When mentioning An Luong, people immediately think of cinnamon trees, as this is a long-standing native crop of the local ethnic groups, especially the Dao people. Today, thanks to the diversification of cinnamon products, the bark, trunk, branches, and leaves of the cinnamon tree are all utilized as raw materials, contributing to increased value. Therefore, leveraging its potential and advantages, in recent years, the An Luong Commune Party Committee has focused on promoting and encouraging the people to continue expanding the area of this traditional crop within the locality's main crop structure.

Mr. Hoang Van Coi, Chairman of the People's Committee of An Luong commune, said: "An Luong is a particularly disadvantaged commune in Van Chan district, with a natural area of 6,799.82 hectares; with a total of 972 households and 4,601 inhabitants living in 9 villages. The ethnic groups in the commune always unite and help each other in production and economic , cultural, and social development; the lives of the people mainly depend on agricultural and forestry production, with cinnamon being the main crop. Thanks to cinnamon cultivation, the people here have not only escaped poverty but also risen to achieve sustainable wealth."

To prove his point, Mr. Coi took us to witness the lives of the people in the villages of Khe Trau, Sai Luong 1, Sai Luong 2, and Sai Luong 3. While in the past, the villagers struggled to make ends meet, now the lives of hundreds of households have clearly changed day by day thanks to cinnamon trees.

Mr. Giàng A Sáu, from Sài Lương 3 village, who has decades of experience in cinnamon cultivation and currently owns over 10 hectares of cinnamon trees, including more than 100 trees over 25 years old, earns over 250 million VND annually from cinnamon. He shared: "Thanks to cinnamon trees, I was able to build a big house, buy many expensive items, and my children received a full education."

The family of Mr. Dang Van Tien, in Khe Trau village, was previously a poor household with little rice paddy land. Since converting their unproductive forest land to cinnamon cultivation, they have not only escaped poverty but also built a spacious house.

Mr. Ly Van Dong, Secretary of the Khe Tran village Party branch, said: "Currently, all 135 households in the village grow cinnamon. Seeing the benefits that cinnamon brings, now officials no longer need to persuade people to plant cinnamon; as long as they have legal land, they will plant it. Many households have become wealthy thanks to cinnamon, notably the households of Mr. Dang Quang Vinh, Mr. Dang Quoc Loi, Mr. Dang Dinh Xuyen, etc."

The entire An Luong commune currently has over 2,300 hectares of cinnamon trees.

Although An Luong is still a particularly disadvantaged commune in Van Chan district, its population mainly consists of Dao, Tay, Muong, Thai, Mong, Kinh, and Kho Mu ethnic groups. The Thia stream flows through the commune, isolating some villages during the rainy season and floods. Despite these difficulties, over the years, the people of An Luong have always been united and cooperative, wholeheartedly following the Party and President Ho Chi Minh's teachings. This is concretized by the fact that the people have fully utilized over 160 hectares of land for two rice crops, generating high incomes. They have also introduced cinnamon cultivation, making it a key crop in poverty reduction efforts.

Currently, out of 972 households in the commune, all 972 cultivate cinnamon. Even the smallest plots are 2,000 square meters, while larger plots reach 9-10 hectares. The entire commune has over 2,300 hectares of cinnamon trees, concentrated mainly in the villages of Khe Trau, Sai Luong 1, Sai Luong 2, and Sai Luong 3..., with a cinnamon bark production of over 1,500 tons and an average annual value exceeding 30 billion VND. The average per capita income is 38 million VND per year. Currently, over 70% of households in the commune are considered well-off or wealthy; 60% of households have built solid houses.

Building on the achievements made, in the coming period, in addition to rice, cassava, and corn, An Luong commune will direct its people to plant 60 hectares of cinnamon trees annually. With innovative and creative thinking, especially by leveraging its potential and advantages, along with the determination of the Party Committee, government, and people of all ethnic groups, An Luong will continue to develop strongly.

Van Tuan

Source: https://baoyenbai.com.vn/12/348797/Nguoi-dan-An-Luong-lam-giau-tu-trong-que.aspx