Determined to get rich on forest land.

In recent times, the movement of farmers competing to excel in production and business in U Minh district has been intensified. This has positively impacted the awareness of members and farmers, encouraging them to work diligently, improve their lives, and strive for wealth. This movement has also given rise to many effective economic models and exemplary farmers excelling in production and business. Mr. Nguyen Van Bi, from Hamlet 12, Nguyen Phich commune, is a prime example.

Mentioning the name Mr. Nguyen Van Bi, no one in Hamlet 12, Nguyen Phich Commune is unfamiliar with him. He is one of the exemplary figures in the local farmers' emulation movement for excellent production and business. He embodies a spirit of enthusiastic labor, diligently protecting the land and forests, and exploring and developing economic models in this challenging area.

Mr. Bi was born in 1965 into a farming family in Tan Duyet commune, Dam Doi district. His childhood was filled with the hard work of farming, the toil of hoeing and plowing by his family. After growing up and starting his own family, Mr. Bi began to consider finding a new place to make a living. He acted on this idea, and in 1990, he and his wife and children moved to Nguyen Phich area, U Minh district, to build a new life.

At that time, maintaining and stabilizing life in the early years in the U Minh area was truly not easy. In the middle of nowhere, including Mr. Bi's newly built house, there were only three houses in the area. There was no electricity, no roads, surrounded by mangrove swamps, mosquitoes buzzing like flutes, and people had to use mosquito nets to eat meals – life was very difficult and arduous. Mr. Bi recounted: “I came here with my wife and two young children. Initially, I cast nets to catch fish to sell and buy rice to eat. Then I cleared the weeds and reeds, started farming, and then switched to planting mangroves and acacia trees. In general, I tried my best to do whatever could provide economic benefits.”

Mr. Bi has been working as a beekeeper for over 10 years; this is a profession that requires experience and yields high profits.

With his diligent, hardworking, and inquisitive nature, and unwilling to accept poverty, Mr. Bi followed in the footsteps of his predecessors in the beekeeping profession to learn the techniques. Later, as he became more skilled, he started beekeeping himself, and it became his main occupation. Mr. Bi shared: “I’ve been beekeeping for over 10 years now. This is a job that requires hard work and the willingness to venture into the forest. Initially, you have to choose a suitable location and beehive that faces the sunrise. During the north wind season, you have to cover the beehive to keep it warm; if it’s left open, the bees won’t come down. In the dry season, you don’t need to cover it as much because it gets too hot and the bees won’t come to the hive. With experience, this profession can be profitable because it requires little capital but yields high returns. Currently, honey is priced at around 500,000 VND per liter, and one hive can produce 3-5 liters of honey.”

Besides that, seeing that an acquaintance in Dam Doi district was successfully raising civets, Mr. Bi took the time to learn from their experience. Finding the breeding techniques not difficult, he bought breeding stock to try raising them. After two years of care, his civet farming model has brought him considerable profits. Mr. Bi said: “We have readily available food sources, bananas and fish, so we save on costs. The civet farming technique is also simple; you just need to diligently clean the cages and bathe the civets regularly because they prefer a clean environment. This model is very effective; after only one year, I recouped my investment and started making a profit. On average, I sell about 60 million VND worth of civet meat per year, and the breeding stock also sells at a high price. I plan to invest in expanding my farm to further develop this model.”

Mr. Bi's civet farming model generates an income of over 60 million VND per year from civet meat. Breeding civets also yields high economic returns.

In recent years, seeing the high income generated from planting hybrid acacia trees on raised beds, Mr. Bi also switched to planting hybrid acacia. With a large area of ​​land, he has to import seedlings in large quantities each time. Taking advantage of this, he both plants on his own land and sells seedlings to local people to reduce costs. With guidance from a seedling nursery in Dong Nai province, Mr. Bi is proficient in seedling propagation techniques, resulting in high-quality seedlings. Most people choose to buy from Mr. Bi because of the high survival rate. The sale of seedlings alone brings Mr. Bi tens of millions of dong in income each year.

Selling hybrid acacia saplings brings Mr. Bi tens of millions of dong in income each year.

Mr. Bí concluded: “To get to where I am today, I had to go through many difficulties and hardships, so I understand the value of hard work. You have to be diligent, hardworking, and thrifty to have a stable life. Especially, you have to persevere in your work, learn from those who came before you, in order to stay in this land. At the same time, during the production process, you must accumulate experience and apply new and good methods to increase productivity and save costs.”

Through hard work and self-reliance, Mr. Bi earns over 300 million VND per year from various business models. Following his example, his children work hard and now each has a stable job, not leaving land fallow or wasting their labor, but always striving to improve their economic situation.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu, Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Nguyen Phich commune, said: “The movement of farmers competing in excellent production and business, uniting to help each other get rich and sustainably reduce poverty in the area has continued to develop extensively in recent times, spreading widely and attracting members and farmers to participate. Mr. Nguyen Van Bi's household is one of the exemplary advanced households; through hard work and a strong will to improve, his family is becoming increasingly prosperous. This has created motivation for other households to learn from and emulate in competing in excellent labor, production, and business, contributing to the sustainable poverty reduction efforts of the locality.”

Quach Nguyen

Source: https://baocamau.vn/quyet-tam-lam-giau-tren-dat-rung-a36733.html