Bustling harvest of "black gold" in mountainous Ha Tinh

(Baohatinh.vn) - In early September, people in the mountainous areas of Ha Tinh are taking advantage of the sunny weather to busily harvest black canarium trees early.

After the impact of storm No. 5, the weather in the mountainous areas of Ha Tinh in early September was sunny and favorable. In the large canarium gardens in the communes of Huong Son, Son Giang, Son Tien... people are busy entering the harvest season of black canarium - the "black gold" that is in its peak season.

This year's canarium fruit crop is good, with plump, even fruit. People have to take advantage of every sunny day to harvest early, avoiding unusual rain and storms that could affect the yield.

Right from the beginning of the season, the price of canarium in the garden has fluctuated from 60,000 to 70,000 VND/kg. When sold on the market, the wholesale price is about 80,000 VND/kg, and after preliminary processing, the finished product can reach 100,000 to 110,000 VND/kg.

Harvesting canarium requires climbing trees or using a long pole with a sickle to cut each bunch. This is hard and dangerous work but brings in a good income. “Every day I pick 1-1.5 quintals of canarium, earning from 1 to 1.2 million VND. But this job has many potential risks, because canarium branches are brittle and break easily. When it rains, it is even more difficult and dangerous,” said Mr. Tong Ngoc (born 1996, Son Giang commune).

According to locals, this year’s canarium fruit harvest is good, but if not picked in time and there is heavy rain, the fruit will fall, be damaged, and lose quality. Many families have to hire more people to harvest early, accepting increased costs to ensure output.

When the canariums were pushed down in bunches from above, the family members or workers quickly picked the fruit and put it into bags. Under the dry sun, everyone was sweating, bending down to pick up each canarium that rolled on the ground, which was covered with a tarpaulin to avoid dirt.

Black canarium is a woody plant, from planting to harvest takes about 5 years. A mature tree can yield dozens of kilograms of fruit each season. In particular, many ancient trees over 50 years old can bring in an income of 5 - 15 million VND/season. "Ancient canarium fruit is often plump, fragrant, and delicious, so it is very popular" , Mr. Nguyen Hien (born 1950, Huong Son commune) shared.

These days, the canarium purchasing points in Huong Son, Son Giang, and Son Tien communes are operating at full capacity. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hue , a trader, said: “Every day I import 2-3 quintals of canarium. As soon as the goods arrive, they are sold out. Thanks to proactive human resources and means, we have accelerated the collection process to avoid being affected by the weather. At this time, the entire area of ​​Huong Son commune is estimated to have harvested about 60% of the canarium trees."

Many households do not directly harvest canarium but sell the whole tree to traders before the season. Mr. Nguyen Duy Thanh’s family (born in 1974, Kim Son village, Huong Son commune) has 3 large canarium trees, initially the trader paid 12 million VND. However, after the storm, a large branch broke off one tree, the price dropped to only 8-9 million VND. “Now we have to wait for the new trader to come and check again, see what price is reasonable to sell, but it is a pity, ” Mr. Thanh shared.

When the canarium season comes, the children in the village gather together to pick up the fallen fruits left after each harvest. Each child has a plastic bag, and can pick up a few kilos to sell for a few tens of thousands of dong. Under the cool shade of the trees, the clear laughter mixed with the aroma of ripe fruits makes the canarium season not only a harvest season, but also a season of sweet memories for the children in the mountains.

Besides its culinary value, black plum is also highly valued by Oriental medicine for its effects of producing new fluids, detoxifying, curing sore throats, sedating, and curing hangovers, so it is very popular in the market.

In recent years, thanks to its high economic value and stable output, people in many mountainous communes of Ha Tinh have boldly expanded the area of ​​growing canarium, both greening the hills and creating long-term livelihoods. In the context of increasingly obvious climate change, proactively harvesting at the right time, before the rainy and stormy season, is an important solution to help people limit risks and improve production efficiency.

Without much care, the black canarium grows quietly with the forest, and then every autumn it becomes a “heavenly gift” for the mountain people. Simple yet precious, the black canarium not only brings practical income, but is also closely associated with the lifestyle, memories and joy of the harvest season of many generations on the hillsides of Ha Tinh.

According to statistics from Huong Son district (old), there are about 3,000 black canarium trees in the area. Currently, the largest number of black canarium trees is in Huong Son commune (about 1,000 trees), the remaining trees are in communes such as Kim Hoa, Son Tien, Son Giang...

Local people here said that storm No. 5 (Kajiki) occurred on August 25 and 26, 2025, destroying and breaking many black canarium trees that were in the harvest season in these communes.

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/nhon-nhip-thu-hoach-vang-den-o-mien-nui-ha-tinh-post294967.html