Tenh Phong cardamom crop failure

People of Ha Rua village harvest cardamom.

Tenh Phong is a highland commune of Tuan Giao district with a unique terrain surrounded by old forests and protective forests, forming a separate microclimate, with the highest temperature being only about 26 degrees. The cool climate here all year round is very suitable for medicinal plants, of which cardamom is a crop chosen by many people in the commune because it both develops the family economy without having to cut down forest trees for farming as before. In recent years, cardamom has brought a significant source of income to the people, helping many households escape poverty and improve their lives. But this year, due to the hot weather, the cardamom crop failed, the yield was poor, not as much as in previous years.

September and October are usually the happiest, busiest and most anticipated times of the year for Tenh Phong people because this is the time to harvest cardamom. The whole village will gather in the fields to harvest their family's cardamom. But this year, the harvest atmosphere has become quiet because the cardamom crop is not good, the yield is less than half of last year. After more than 30 minutes of walking through the forest, we arrived at the cardamom field of Mr. Lau A Thao, Ha Rua village. Lowering the basket and pouring the harvested cardamom onto a tarp, Mr. Thao said softly: The weather this year is unusual, when the cardamom flowers bloom, it is hot all the time, there is no rain for several months so the young leaves are all burned, the flowers are also sunburned so there is very little fruit. My family has more than 3 hectares of cardamom, last year's crop our family harvested about 1 ton of dried fruit, selling for 80 million VND in profit. But this crop's harvest is small, probably only half of last year's.

Stopping to rest at a roadside tea shop right at the commune committee headquarters, we had the opportunity to meet and chat with Mr. Dang Huu Cuong, Ten Hon village. Mr. Cuong shared: His family also grows cardamom, in addition to trading, purchasing agricultural products, and going to the forest to collect medicinal herbs. In mid-January, when the cardamom started to flower, the family also went to the fields to prune the fruit to increase the yield. At that time, the cardamom flowers were very beautiful, not wanting to cut them, each flower weighed more than a kilo, that was a very important time to determine whether the yield and quality of the cardamom was good or not. We thought that this year the cardamom would also be in season and have a bumper harvest, but due to climate change, the hot weather lasted for several months right at the pollination time of the flowers, so the yield was low, the trees did not bear fruit. When we visited the fields before, we saw that there were too few fruits, not worth the effort of harvesting and transporting, so the family did not want to harvest, leaving it to the owners of the fields next door to glean for us.

Talking further with Mr. Lau A Nênh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Tenh Phong Commune about the cardamom harvest, Mr. Nênh confided: The whole commune has more than 83 hectares of cardamom grown by people in 5 villages. In previous years, when the cardamom crop was good, people were very happy and excited, everywhere there was laughter and bustling scenes of buyers and sellers. The farmers who live far away still had to eat, sleep, harvest and spread out tarps to dry the cardamom right on the field, until the cardamom shriveled up, became lighter, and was easier to carry, then they transported it home. People also had to build fences and assign people to guard and control traders and people coming and going during the cardamom harvest season. This year, people harvested cardamom earlier than every year, but because the cardamom crop was bad, the scene of harvesting and trading was quiet, not as lively and bustling as last year. This year, households harvested less so they did not assign people to guard. The cardamom fields near the people have finished harvesting, only the fields near the mountain top remain. A few years ago, when the cardamom crop was good, most households invested in building drying kilns at home, but this year, due to the small harvest and not enough batches to dry, many households had to sell fresh fruit at a price of 15,000 - 17,000 VND/kg. If only it were possible to design a water pipe to spray mist on the fields, reducing dependence on the weather, it would be great. Then, people would no longer have to worry about the cardamom crop failing, and with just a few crops, growers could escape poverty, bringing in a significant source of income for their families.

Leaving Tenh Phong commune on the winding road typical of the mountainous region, looking up at the cardamom fields, my heart was heavy. All the hopes and expectations of the people for this year's cardamom season had vanished, the cardamom crop failed, income decreased significantly, and the farmers were even more miserable.

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