Cam Xuyen farmers grow a familiar tree, earning hundreds of millions of dong/year

In a garden of nearly 0.5 hectares, Ms. Ha Thi Vinh (Son Nam village, Cam Thinh commune) is busy digging the soil and cultivating beds to plant lemongrass.

To support Ms. Vinh, members of the Lemongrass Growing Cooperative in Son Nam village, Cam Thinh commune assigned members to participate in production.

Ms. Ha Thi Vinh - a member of the cooperative group shared: " Lemongrass has taken root in my family's garden for many years now, but it is mainly grown spontaneously. However, since the beginning of the year, when the local government established the cooperative group, my family has also invested in larger-scale production. Currently, in my garden, there are 4 sao of lemongrass that have been harvested. I am continuing to expand the area, planting 3 more sao ."

Having grown lemongrass for nearly 10 years, Ms. Nguyen Thi Men's family (Son Nam village, Cam Thinh commune) is now covering their garden with this traditional crop. " On average, each sao of lemongrass brings in an income of about 25 - 30 million VND/year. My family owns 7 sao of lemongrass, earning about 200 million VND/year. Compared to growing acacia or other vegetables, lemongrass is 3 - 4 times more economically efficient. I plan to grow 2 more sao of lemongrass in the near future ," Ms. Men said excitedly.

According to locals, lemongrass is easy to grow and care for. This plant is especially suitable for high, dry land with a lack of water. In the drier areas, lemongrass produces more essential oil when processed.

Currently, lemongrass leaves are harvested by people and sold to essential oil production and processing facilities at a price of 20,000 - 30,000 VND/yen. Lemongrass stems are harvested and sold to wholesale markets in Ha Tinh at a price of 25,000 - 30,000 VND/kg.

The demand for lemongrass in the market is so great that now, people in Son Nam village, Cam Thinh commune, produce and consume as much as they want.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tam - Head of the Lemongrass Growing Cooperative in Son Nam Village said: " In March 2025, the cooperative was officially established with 30 members. After 2 months of operation, the cooperative admitted 8 more members. Currently, the lemongrass growing area in Son Nam village has an area of ​​20 hectares. The locality's goal is to continue expanding the lemongrass growing area in household gardens, especially in fallow gardens ."

Not only focusing on expanding production, many households in Son Nam village have also invested in machinery to improve labor efficiency. " My family grows more than 10 sao of lemongrass, and I take care of it and harvest it alone. Without a weeder or a bed-making machine, the care process would be extremely difficult. Now, thanks to joining the cooperative, I not only get guaranteed product sales and do not have to worry about finding an outlet, but also receive support from members of the group in the production and harvesting stages, so the work is carried out more smoothly and effectively, " said Ms. Ha Thi Phuong.

In order to build a raw material area for deep processing of OCOP products by 2026, the Lemongrass Growing Cooperative in Son Nam Village, Cam Thinh Commune is currently actively expanding its area. Accordingly, in abandoned household gardens, the Commune Women's Union has mobilized members to participate in production. The cooperative strives to reach a concentrated planting scale of about 50 hectares by 2026 to invest in deep processing, building OCOP products such as: lemongrass essential oil, cold-dried lemongrass starch.

Lemongrass is a traditional crop, very suitable for the high, dry land in Cam Thinh commune. In the economic development roadmap, the locality strives to build a large-scale lemongrass production area in Son Nam village and neighboring villages to meet the raw materials for processing OCOP products.

Currently, the People's Committee of Cam Thinh commune has established the Son Nam village lemongrass growing cooperative and assigned the Women's Union to be the owner, aiming to gather female members to share production experiences, improve quality and output, and help each other sell products. In the coming time, the locality will assign the cooperative to invest in machinery to serve the deep processing of lemongrass products, thereby contributing to improving the economic efficiency of the locality.

Ms. Ha Thi Nhuan - President of Women's Union of Cam Thinh commune

Video : Lemongrass production area concentrated in Son Nam village

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/nong-dan-cam-xuyen-trong-loai-cay-quen-thuoc-thu-ca-tram-trieu-dongnam-post288031.html