Self-made billionaires

BPO - Mr. Nguyen Van Sot, Vice Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Chon Thanh district, affirmed during our visit to several farms in the district at the end of the year: With 7,000 hectares of small-scale rubber plantations (accounting for ¼ of the total small-scale rubber plantation area in the province) and with the current high rubber prices, the farms in Chon Thanh district are all thriving and have many new plans for 2004.

Self-made billionaires

( Binh Phuoc Newspaper, January 16, 2004)

"Sugarcane King" Gets Rich by Selling Watermelon Seeds

From National Highway 13, the section belonging to Hamlet 3, Nha Bich Commune (Chon Thanh District), follow the red dirt road for nearly 20km to Hamlet 6, a hamlet where over 80% of the population are Khmer ethnic minorities who have lived there for generations. Along both sides of the road leading to Hamlet 6, vast rubber plantations stretch endlessly, covered in a carpet of golden leaves from the new leaf-shedding season. Mr. Dinh Thanh Thao, Vice Chairman of the Nha Bich Commune Farmers' Association, happily told us: "All of these are small-scale rubber plantations owned by farm owners who came from various localities to establish their businesses. They have contributed to the socio-economic development of a commune with a high percentage of ethnic minorities like Nha Bich."

We visited the farm of Mr. Vo Van Quang, nicknamed "The Sugarcane King." Coming from the sugarcane-growing region of Tay Ninh province, Mr. Quang arrived in Hamlet 6, Nha Bich commune in the 1990s with the hope of finding new land for sugarcane farming. However, sugarcane farming repeatedly caused his family to lose everything. Undeterred, Mr. Quang embarked on a crop diversification project, determined to stay in this fertile and promising land. Taking advantage of the surrounding area's year-round water supply from the Xa Cat stream, he dammed the stream to raise freshwater fish. He then boldly converted 20 hectares of sugarcane to rubber plantations. Today, Mr. Quang's farm covers a total area of 40 hectares, including 10 hectares of rubber trees in their second year of production, intercropped with high-yield cashew trees; and 10 hectares of F1 watermelons for seed supply to markets in provinces from Dong Nai , Tay Ninh, and Binh Phuoc. The farm has 3 hectares of lake surface for fish farming and the remaining area is planted with forest trees such as mahogany and acacia. Currently, after deducting production costs, Mr. Quang earns over 50 million VND in profit from the farm each month.

During our visit to the farming models, Mr. Quang explained to us: This year, the high-yield cashew intercropping model has begun bearing its first fruits. The plan is that after 7 years, when the rubber trees begin to be tapped, the high-yield cashew trees, with their methods of producing many fruits in one season, will be cleared to make way for rubber cultivation. This method fully utilizes the land's potential.

Pointing to his 10-hectare watermelon field that captivated our attention, Mr. Quang enthusiastically said: "Currently, just harvesting three watermelon crops a year for seeds, at a price of 1.8-2 million VND/kg, brings my family around 200 million VND. Five years ago, it was thanks to growing watermelons for seeds to supply a reputable market that I built this business. At that time, the price of seeds on the market was low, but Mr. Quang sold them for 8-10 million VND/kg. This success helped him stand firm after his failure with sugarcane." Mr. Quang added: "I plan to plant 10 hectares of rubber trees and intercrop high-yield cashew trees in 2004, and raise additional fish species such as tilapia, carp, and tilapia, increasing production to about 200 tons. I estimate that the fish harvest alone will bring in about 350 million VND."

In Hamlet 6, farms of the scale of Mr. Quang's are not uncommon. Looking ahead, one sees the vast rubber plantations of the Six Ho brothers, covering an area of 350-400 hectares. They were among those who settled in this area during the years when the former Song Be province implemented a policy of reforesting barren hills. Previously, the Khmer people in Hamlet 6 lived in extreme poverty and backwardness due to difficult transportation, only cultivating rice on the alluvial plains along the Xa Cat stream. Like other areas of Nha Bich commune, the farms here are mainly owned by people from other regions who came with the determination to establish themselves. They possess both capital and scientific and technical knowledge in farming, resulting in high economic efficiency. From this, the ethnic minority people have both jobs and the opportunity to learn production from the farms, not only eradicating hunger and poverty but also becoming wealthy, like Dieu Minh, whose farm spans tens of hectares with many integrated models, earning hundreds of millions of dong annually. According to statistics, Nha Bich commune alone has 58 farms, with over 50% earning more than 50 million VND per year. These farms actively contribute to the construction of inter-village roads and bridges, and participate in social movements when the local authorities call for them.

THE DREAM OF GETTING RICH BECOMES A REALITY

Visiting the farm of Mr. Nguyen Tien Hanh in Hamlet 3, Minh Thanh Commune, it was gratifying to hear that at this time, his family earns 4 million VND per day from just 40 hectares of rubber trees that are ready for harvesting. After deducting expenses, his farm generates nearly 100 million VND per month. In 2003, the Farm Club in Chon Thanh supported Minh Thanh Secondary School with 10 computers to establish a computer lab for the school's students.

Originally from Duc Tho district, Ha Tinh province, in 1980, Mr. Hanh moved south to start a new life with the dream of becoming rich through hard work and intelligence in his new homeland. And that dream of the young man has now become a reality. As a driver, Mr. Hanh lived a nomadic life in many places. In 1993, he returned to Minh Thanh, got married, and fell in love with his new profession as a "farm owner." In those years, with favorable land conditions and the availability of tractors and trucks, he both plowed his own land and expanded his services to other farms and farmers in the area. As if destined for this new profession, he continuously achieved great success on his cultivated land. His farm is mainly located in Hamlet 2, about 4km from his home. Here, Mr. Hanh owns 50 hectares of rubber trees, of which only 10 hectares are unharvested, 40 hectares of mahogany and acacia hybrids, and 10 hectares of other trees. On his farm, Mr. Hanh has built many small, charming houses for his workers to live in, making it convenient for them to care for and harvest the orchards. Many families have been working for him for 5-7 years. In addition to their annual piece-rate wages, he also covers transportation costs for the workers to return home for Tet (Lunar New Year) with their families.

Pointing to the young rubber trees, just over a year old, interspersed among his six-year-old longan trees, Mr. Hanh explained: "For the past two years, the price of longan has been too low, so I decided to intercrop rubber trees in my 5-hectare longan orchard to gradually replace them. In 2004, I plan to invest in expanding my cattle farming model." Based on his farm experience, Mr. Hanh believes that the need for loans is no longer urgent for farms like his. Banks have also made many reforms to the application process, making it much easier for borrowers. However, to enable farms to develop, the government needs to increase the loan-to-value ratio and require larger collateral. While the government is not yet able to subsidize agricultural products, specific guidance and forecasts are needed to help farms proactively invest, avoiding the widespread practice of cutting down one type of tree and planting another because it is ineffective. There should be more organizational forms, such as farm clubs, to allow farm owners to exchange experiences, learn from each other, and support each other in production.

Leaving the farms in Chơn Thành in the days leading up to Tet, we carried with us the joy of plans for farm economic development in 2004, and the legitimate dreams of wealth accumulation of the "billionaire" farm owners on this red soil land in the Eastern region.

Ha Phuong Thao

Source: https://baobinhphuoc.com.vn/news/4/173317/nhung-ty-phu-chan-dat