The pink lychee tree has been preserved and cared for by Mr. Loi's family for many years.-Photo: NM
From battlefield to lychee garden
Leaving the northern border battlefield after years of fighting in the 426th Regiment, 306th Division, 2nd Corps, soldier Le Quang Loi fell in love with a girl from Bac Giang . In 1994, he and his wife and children returned to their hometown, starting their journey to establish a career in the new economic zone with 5 hectares of barren hill land.
Not only did he bring with him his love and memories of the war, he also brought back the famous U Hong litchi variety, a specialty of his wife’s hometown, to plant in this sunny and windy land. Although he had his “roots” in faraway Bac Giang, with the determination of a soldier, his love for the land and homeland, and his desire to overcome difficulties and become rich legitimately, the litchi tree took root, blossomed, and bore sweet fruit in his homeland.
Many local people and officials proudly said that Mr. Loi was one of the first people to bring lychee trees to plant in this area. His garden currently has 220 lychee trees, including “old lychee” trees that are over 30 years old. From the first lychee trees, he diligently grafted branches and multiplied them in his garden. “Good wine needs no bush”, the economic efficiency of his model spread, contributing to the development of lychee trees not only in the locality but also in neighboring communes.
This year, we missed the lychee season in Mr. Loi's garden. According to him, the U Hong lychee variety grown in Bo Trach land usually yields an early harvest. While many places are in the main season, his lychee garden has already finished harvesting. This has brought about an advantage in selling price: at the beginning of the season, lychees are sold for 40,000 VND/kg, while in the middle and end of the season, they fluctuate from 25,000-30,000 VND/kg. With an output of 8 tons, this year his family earned about 240 million VND from the lychee garden.
“Taking care of lychee is not difficult, just weeding, fertilizing and pruning properly. For many years, traders from near and far have known about it and come to the garden to buy. While the lychee season is in full swing, my garden has finished its crop so I almost don’t have to worry about output,” Mr. Loi shared.
From 5 hectares of barren hilly land, Mr. Loi has built an effective comprehensive economic model. Every year, his family earns hundreds of millions of dong and becomes a reliable support for people in rural economic development. Not only is he good at economics, he is also a "fire-spreader", contributing to changing the production mindset of many households in the area, adding motivation for them to rise up from the potential of their homeland. |
Comprehensive economy, sustainable direction
One of Bo Trach's strengths is pepper, and veteran Le Quang Loi has made the most of this advantage by dedicating most of his hilly land to growing pepper sustainably, providing stable yields and bringing in significant income for his family. Currently, his garden has 1,200 pepper plants in harvest, with a total output of about 3 tons. At a price of 160,000 VND/kg, this year's crop brings him nearly 500 million VND.
Having been attached to pepper for many years, experiencing many ups and downs, Mr. Loi still maintains his faith in this key crop. Currently, he is preparing to plant 600 more pepper trees, continue to expand the scale and invest for more sustainable crops in the future.
The comprehensive economic model helps Mr. Le Quang Loi build a spacious business.-Photo: NM
700 custard apple trees, also the same variety he brought from his wife's hometown in Bac Giang, are in season and are being purchased by traders at a price of 45,000-50,000 VND/kg. On the barren hill land, Mr. Loi also planted 1 hectare of cassava, raised 50 beehives for honey, intercropped with watermelon, thousands of tea trees and dug a pond to raise fish... After deducting expenses, from 5 hectares of land, he earns about 500-600 million VND/year.
All of these are not simply fruits and animals, but the result of a process of persistent, creative and determined attachment of Uncle Ho's soldiers in peacetime. Especially, during the harvest season, his garden also creates seasonal jobs for dozens of local workers, contributing to the income of the people.
That stable and diverse source of income not only helps his family become well-off but also affirms the practical effectiveness of the comprehensive economic model, a sustainable direction in the sunny and windy hilly land of Bo Trach today.
Spread the "golden seasons"
Deputy Head of the Economic Department of Bo Trach Commune, Mr. Tran Tien Dung, proudly shared: “Mr. Loi is a typical veteran in economic development. For many years, he has been recognized as a good farmer and businessman at all levels. Having held many roles such as head of the Veterans Association, Beekeeping Association, Chairman of the Commune Gardening Association..., in any position, he is always dedicated, responsible and devoted to the community. He is a reliable support for members and farmers in sharing experiences, providing technical support, contributing to promoting the rural economy and getting rich on his homeland."
Mr. Hoang Van Khang, Dai village, Bo Trach commune, one of the households owning a garden of U Hong lychee from the variety propagated by Mr. Loi, said: I started growing lychee in 2010. Thanks to Mr. Loi's support of the variety and enthusiastic technical guidance, my family's lychee garden has developed steadily. Due to limited space, we only planted cassava among 30 lychee trees. In a good year, the yield was about 4 tons, earning nearly 100 million VND; in a bad year, it was also several tens of millions of VND. Compared to cassava, lychee is both leisurely and economically efficient. I have also grafted branches, providing hundreds of seedlings to people in the area, contributing to economic development from this precious lychee variety.
From a soldier returning from the war, Mr. Loi continued to assert himself on the front line of rural economic development. Each sweet fruit season today is not only the result of sweat and effort but also a testament to the spirit of overcoming difficulties, the enduring qualities and the kind heart of Uncle Ho's soldiers in peacetime.
In what used to be a barren hill, a "golden season" is spreading, a golden season of knowledge, affection and aspiration to rise from the hands of honest and resilient farmers.
Ngoc Mai
Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/nhung-mua-qua-ngot-195632.htm
Comment (0)