Growing banana leaves for good income

Banana leaves are commonly used to wrap cakes, sausages, spring rolls... or to package food instead of plastic bags in supermarkets and clean food stores. Grasping the market demand, for more than 2 years now, many people in Vo Doi hamlet, Tran Hoi commune, Tran Van Thoi district have been attached to the job of growing bananas and selling leaves, bringing in a stable income.

After harvesting, banana leaves will be purchased by traders at the site, priced at about 5,000 VND/kg. When in high demand, the price will be higher.

Mr. Vo Minh Ut's family in Vo Doi hamlet has 5.5 hectares of land to grow bananas, with the Siamese banana variety, which is pest-free and requires little care, and can be harvested year-round. Every day, at dawn, Mr. Ut and his wife harvest banana leaves, working until 3 p.m.

According to Mr. Ut, to get beautiful leaves that can be sold at a good price, you have to choose intact leaves that are not torn and still have powder dust, large, 25-30 cm wide, and green. After removing the stems, the banana leaves are neatly stacked and delivered to traders during the day for transportation to sell.

Vo Minh Ut's family has a stable income thanks to growing bananas and selling leaves.

Mr. Ut said: "Thanks to the banana plantation, my wife and I cut about 200 kg of banana leaves a day. Traders come to buy them at 5,000 VND/kg, earning us 1 million VND per day. During holidays and Tet, the selling price is about 6,500 VND/kg, depending on the quality of the leaves, earning us 1.3 million VND/day."

Although growing bananas for leaves is simple, it depends a lot on the weather. According to Mr. Ut, bananas grow better in the dry season than in the rainy season; in the rainy months, the bananas are easily flooded and the leaves are torn by the wind. “During the rainy season, the water here cannot drain, so the banana trees are affected and income is reduced. That is also the concern of the people here when they intend to expand the model of growing bananas for leaves,” Mr. Ut shared.

Not only Mr. Ut's family but also many households in Tran Hoi commune have risen out of poverty and become rich from growing banana leaves. If in the past, the main consumers of banana leaves were nem cha shops and cake wrapping establishments, now banana leaves are also widely used in supermarkets to wrap and package food. The increased demand for banana leaves has helped stabilize the lives of people who make a living from growing banana leaves.

Mr. Tran Minh Thuat, Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Tran Hoi Commune, said: "In the future, the Association will consult the Commune People's Committee and the Party Committee to ask for opinions on expanding this model, establishing a cooperative to purchase banana leaves from the people. The Association also coordinates with the Party cell and hamlet government to encourage people to renovate mixed gardens to grow bananas to supply banana leaves to the market inside and outside the commune."

Although the work is hard, the stable income from growing banana leaves has helped Mr. Ut's family and many other households in Tran Hoi commune have more motivation to stick with the job. This is a product that can develop in the future because it is environmentally friendly. With the economic benefits it brings, growing banana leaves in Tran Hoi commune opens up new prospects in creating a good source of income, improving the lives of local people./.

Trinh Linh

Source: https://baocamau.vn/trong-chuoi-lay-la-thu-nhap-kha-a38986.html