The seedling grower

Starting a career has never been an easy journey for young people. However, many have bravely abandoned old habits and ways of doing things to stand on their own two feet and walk their own path. The story of La Minh Phuc, a Cao Lan ethnic minority from Go Che village, Nhu Khe commune, who is known as a "green sprout grower," is one such example of a journey of growth.

Professional destiny

Looking at the thriving business of young La Minh Phuc in Go Che village, Nhu Khe commune, few would know that the skillful hands that built this empire once studied... accounting.

"I graduated in accounting in 2012, but fate led me to a completely different job: working as a worker in the tissue culture environment at the Paper Raw Material Research Institute in Phu Ninh, Phu Tho . Instead of working with abacus, numbers, and invoices, the sterile rooms, chemicals, agar media, and the growing seedlings became my close companions."

The seedlings that meet the standards are potted and transferred to the natural environment.

"Although it wasn't my field of study, the scientific environment taught me discipline and meticulousness in my work. In the quiet space, under the fluorescent lights and the sound of the machines, I also learned to be patient with each seedling," Phuc shared.

For 10 years, La Minh Phuc has been dedicated to the tissue culture environment, witnessing generations of seedlings leave the sterile room and the center to spread greenery across the barren hills and mountains. From a novice in the field, he gradually mastered the techniques of preparing culture media, understood the process of plant reproduction and development in test tubes, and learned about the growth characteristics of each type of eucalyptus and acacia hybrid.

As time passed, what seemed like a "side job" became a lifelong career. Beyond his work in the laboratory, study tours and technology transfer programs broadened La Minh Phuc's horizons in forestry science. For him, each stop was a valuable lesson for improving processes and enhancing the quality of seedlings.

Following in Mr. Phuc's footsteps, we toured the laboratory and then the plant nursery, admiring the green seedlings growing day by day. He said, "Even though I've decided to work far from home, I still have to return to my hometown for my family and children." This mindset of "leaving farming but not leaving home" is not only a deep-seated concern for his family but also embodies the aspiration to bring knowledge back to enrich his homeland.

Starting a career

After 10 years away from his hometown, facing life's crossroads and numerous offers of collaboration, the young man, then just over 30, chose a difficult but proud path: returning home to start his own business. "Initially, I decided to cultivate seedlings to have a reliable source of stock for my family's needs, and sell any surplus. Gradually, more people learned about my work and started asking to buy, so I decided to borrow money, invest properly, and produce in large quantities to meet customer demand," Phúc said.

Mr. La Minh Phuc monitors the growth and development of seedlings in the laboratory.

To realize his dream, he borrowed 500 million VND and invested his heart and soul in a modern culture lab equipped with sterile rooms, autoclaves, analytical balances, technical balances, chemical storage cabinets, etc. The economic challenge became a difficult one for a young entrepreneur when the initial cost of equipment was so high. To adapt, he improved the machinery and technology to reduce costs, proactively sourcing recycled test tubes for self-processing and sterilization.

"The investment costs only decrease in those areas," said the young man, La Minh Phuc, with a smile.

After four years of operation, overcoming initial difficulties, Mr. Phuc's production facility has gradually established a reputation and become well-known. Not only is it a family-run business, but it has also become a reliable source of high-quality seedlings for people in and outside the region.

On average, 1 million acacia and eucalyptus seedlings are shipped annually to various locations within and outside the province. In February, March, July, and August, the seedlings are mainly transported to provinces in the North; during the remaining months, seedlings are shipped to the South. Not only does this generate a stable income of nearly 500 million VND per year, but Mr. Phuc also provides regular employment for 5 local workers with an income of 7-8 million VND per month.

The seedlings sprouting and flourishing in each recycled test tube are the culmination of a rigorous scientific process, where diligence and meticulousness blend with the ambition of young people to get rich. The image of young people from the 90s generation diligently working in the laboratory, guiding the next generation on how to cultivate green shoots, is proof of the dynamic youth who dare to think, dare to act, and boldly walk their own path.

A young man from an ethnic minority group, always cheerful, enthusiastic, and dedicated to his work, is a valuable source of energy that attracts wealth to the production facility. Therefore, he says that there's no need to look far for customers; they still come to him as if by good fortune…

Many times, youth union members from Nhữ Khê commune have come to visit and learn from his experience, and he has enthusiastically shared his knowledge. Helping each other, progressing together, having friends in business, and a community in trade – that's what's truly valuable! Perhaps when people participate in labor and production seriously and honestly, their minds become clearer, more positive, steadfast, and purer.

Few people know that the foundation of future forests begins with the delicate green sprouts in a small, sterile room. It is there that a young person laid the first brick for their aspiration to build a "green future" for themselves, their family, and their community.

Text and photos: Thuy Le

Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/kinh-te/202604/nguoi-uom-mam-xanh-6dc28c1/