Unique startup products from agriculture

Ms. Vo Thi Ngoc Thu's startup model helps generate income for farming households in Duy Xuyen commune and many other workers. Photo: MAI QUE

From love for the environment

Three years ago, Ms. Vo Thi Ngoc Thu (40 years old), Director of Vu Nguyen Investment and Development Company Limited (Thanh Khe ward) had the idea of starting a business when she held a product made from loofah in her hand.

She found that loofah fibers are tough, dry quickly, do not retain odors, are soft, and do not scratch the skin, so they are very suitable for making items such as slippers, bags, dishwashing sponges, glass-washing sponges, bath belts, etc. and have great potential for business because there is no facility in the city that produces products from loofah fibers.

Thinking is doing, she researched suitable production areas to supply raw materials and decided to start in Duy Xuyen commune.

“For a long time, farmers only knew how to grow squash for the fruit, but rarely for the fiber. Squash for eating only needs 1-1.5 months from sowing to harvest, however, squash for fiber needs about 3-4 months for the squash to almost dry the skin (about 80% dry) before harvesting.

Therefore, cooperation does not stop at signing a product consumption contract, but we must also guide, provide fiber-producing squash seeds and closely monitor each growing rack to ensure product quality.

Besides profit, I want the project to be known by many people, using loofah to contribute to promoting the consumption of environmentally friendly products," said Ms. Thu.

Also concerned about the environment, at the end of 2023, IT engineer Nguyen Quang Phu (33 years old, residing in Hoa Khanh ward) began his entrepreneurial journey with a calcium worm farming model.

The materials to develop this species are not too sophisticated, including: a larval rearing tray; a 15m3 parent fly cage to serve the repopulation; the cage is designed with an iron frame covered with mosquito netting that is always closed, and inside there are small pieces of cloth hung above and wooden shelves as a place for the flies to mate, reproduce and lay eggs.

“The calcium worm model helps to utilize the treatment of household organic waste and manure effectively, limiting environmental pollution, especially the calcium worm product is a nutritious food source for livestock and poultry.

Currently, my calcium worm farming area is about ^50m2 , generating an income of about 8-10 million VND per month. This is a model that can be produced in large quantities in a small space, so it is very suitable for replication. I am also supporting farming techniques for farmer members in communes and wards in the city," Mr. Phu shared.

Need capital to expand production

With experience in science and technology as a lecturer at a college, Ms. Thu regularly learns and guides farmers to grow squash seeds with lots of fiber and large fruits.

Ms. Vo Thi Ngoc Thu, Director of Vu Nguyen Investment and Development Company Limited (Thanh Khe Ward) with products made from loofah fiber produced by the company. Photo: MAI QUE

From the initial 0.5ha, up to now, Ms. Thu has cooperated to expand the production area in Duy Xuyen district (formerly) to about 8ha and 10ha in Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh provinces to meet production needs.

On average, each month the production areas supply about 50,000 squash for Ms. Thu's factory to process.

After harvesting, loofah is pre-processed, cleaned, dried and then brought to the factory to carry out the processes of rolling, cutting, shaping, sewing, packaging... under the brand name "Moc Xo Loofah".

At the end of 2024, Ms. Thu's company's loofah scrubber product was granted a 3-star OCOP Certificate by the city.

By June 2025, luffa fiber products will be granted VietGAP Certificate (Good Agricultural Practices in Vietnam).

This is also an important affirmation of the company's product quality to "set foot" in "difficult" export markets.

Up to now, Moc Xo loofah products have appeared in some domestic souvenir shops and exported to the United States, Canada, Australia, Korea, the Netherlands... with a quantity of about 10,000-15,000 pieces/month.

Currently, Ms. Thu's production workshop creates stable jobs for 5 workers with an income of 6-7 million VND/month, 10 seasonal workers with an income of 3-5 million VND/month and 10-15 farming households in growing areas.

Despite achieving some initial successes, start-up models like Ms. Thu and Mr. Phu still face many difficulties, especially in terms of capital to expand production.

Through research, in order to promptly support start-up projects, the Department of Science and Technology is guiding innovative start-up projects to carry out procedures to receive support from the city's start-up policy; supporting knowledge training for start-up businesses; orienting the development of plans for research on production technology and business development; supporting intellectual property and trademark registration.

Meanwhile, according to a representative of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the department is restructuring the agricultural production sector towards modernization, improving productivity and competitiveness, creating key, unique, organic, value-added and food-safe products.

In particular, focusing on effectively implementing the project to support the development of OCOP products; developing rural economy associated with eco-tourism, experiences, and integrating multi-values in agricultural products.

Thereby, supporting sustainable agricultural development projects to have conditions to develop.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/san-pham-khoi-nghiep-doc-dao-tu-nong-nghiep-3299583.html