Prospects of getting rich from cinnamon trees in the highlands

Cinnamon is gradually asserting its position as a key crop thanks to its suitability to climate and soil conditions, bringing high economic efficiency in many localities of Thai Nguyen province. This is a valuable source of raw materials for the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, a way to escape poverty and become sustainably rich for many households in the northern communes of the province.

People of Yen Phong commune exploit cinnamon hills.

Earning hundreds of millions of dong from growing cinnamon

Cinnamon is a versatile tree, from the trunk, bark to leaves can all be exploited, processed and consumed. Dried cinnamon bark is currently priced at about 40,000 VND/kg; fresh cinnamon is 20,000 VND/kg. With a cinnamon exploitation cycle of 13 to 20 years, the tree will reach the highest essential oil content and bring high economic value.

In recent years, cinnamon prices have been quite stable, and acreage has been expanded in many localities, helping people earn income and improve their lives. Cinnamon harvest season takes place in April and May. This is the time when cinnamon trees produce high levels of essential oils, the bark is easy to peel and retains its characteristic aroma.

In Yen Binh commune, where cinnamon area is about 1,000 hectares, this crop has become a "rich tree" for many households. Mr. Nong Van Tinh in Ban Tam village said: In the past, the land was left unused, the road up the hill had no path, thanks to someone introducing the advantages of cinnamon trees, I bought them to try planting and gradually expanded them . Recently, my family has exploited 1.5 hills of cinnamon, earning about 300 million VND. The spacious 2-storey house that the family lives in now is also largely thanks to the income from investing in cinnamon planting and exploitation. After this round of clear exploitation, next year the family will continue to choose to grow cinnamon trees to develop the economy.

Cinnamon hills in the northern communes of Thai Nguyen are in harvest season from April.

Trieu Van Huyen's family in Na Luong village, Yen Phong commune, is one of the households with high income from growing cinnamon. Last May, Mr. Huyen harvested about 4,000m² of cinnamon. Although the area is not large, thanks to the good growth of the trees, after only 13 years of planting, he has harvested and earned about 100 million VND.

Mr. Huyen shared: In the process of growing cinnamon, it is necessary to pay attention, take care and take preventive measures as soon as pests appear on the bark and leaves, so that the tree can grow well and be sold at a high price. Up to now, cinnamon is still a forestry tree that brings stable economic benefits to my family as well as many households in the area.

From the lush green cinnamon hills, many households in Yen Binh, Na Ri communes... have been able to build spacious houses and send their children to school. However, cinnamon products from the northern communes are mostly consumed in raw form. After peeling, cinnamon bark is mainly dried, bundled and sold to traders. Leaves and branches in many places are burned or used to manually distill essential oils, leading to low productivity and uneven quality.

There are currently no large-scale cinnamon processing facilities in the province. Preliminary processing and processing are only limited to households or a few small cooperatives. The consumption market mainly depends on the main hubs in Lao Cai province and some neighboring provinces.

Mr. Ha Van Quynh, Director of Quynh Duong Production and Service Cooperative, said: From the State's support capital and the cooperative's capital, we invested in a cinnamon essential oil distillation furnace of about 200 million VND. The cooperative initially sold nearly 100 liters of essential oil, but the product output market is still facing difficulties. We   Hope that specialized agencies will support market connection and product promotion for more stable output.

Raw cinnamon products of Quynh Duong Production and Service Cooperative (Yen Binh commune).

Prospects for increasing the value of cinnamon

In order for cinnamon trees to truly develop their potential and value, bringing stable and long-term income to the people, the northern highland communes need to have synchronous and long-term solutions. First of all, it is necessary to continue to plan cinnamon growing areas systematically, select good varieties suitable for the climate, and at the same time apply advanced farming techniques to increase productivity and limit pests and diseases.

At the same time, the province needs to have policies to encourage investment and attract deep processing such as: Processing essential oils, cinnamon powder, cinnamon sticks, cinnamon cosmetic products... to increase added value. Encourage production organization according to the "Farmers - Cooperatives - Enterprises - Market" chain to help reduce dependence on traders and increase stable consumption capacity.

In addition, standardizing raw material areas, building growing area codes, and tracing origins will be key factors to bring cinnamon products to the market.

With effective orientation and support from the government, businesses and professional agencies, cinnamon is not only a crop for poverty reduction, but also has the potential to become a key crop in forest economic development, opening up opportunities for people in the northern highlands to get rich.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202508/trien-vong-lam-giau-tu-cay-queo-vung-cao-ff736c6/