Poverty alleviation through cinnamon cultivation model in Trang Dinh.

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Cinnamon trees bring high economic value to the people in Trang Dinh district.

Trang Dinh is a region with favorable soil and climate conditions for the development of forestry and medicinal plants such as cinnamon and star anise. Previously, cinnamon trees were only grown on a small scale by local people. However, after realizing that cinnamon and star anise are not only suitable for the soil and climate but also offer high economic returns due to strong market demand, people have shown interest in investing in their development.

Particularly since 2021, the Executive Committee of the Trang Dinh District Party Committee issued Resolution No. 37-NQ/HU dated June 18, 2021, on building a value chain to enhance cinnamon and star anise crops in the period 2021-2030 (Resolution No. 37). After two years of implementing the Resolution, positive changes have been made, developing and enhancing the value of key crops in the district.

According to Mr. Nguyen Viet Tien, Secretary of the Party Committee of Hung Son commune, Trang Dinh district, previously, people in the commune mainly planted anise, black ebony, acacia, and eucalyptus. Since the implementation of Resolution No. 37, the Party Committee, government, Fatherland Front of the commune, and mass organizations have focused on extensively disseminating information to all 9 villages and hamlets; reviewing the area of ​​degraded forest land to develop cinnamon trees. People have recognized the value of cinnamon trees and have gradually switched to planting this key crop. In 2021, the commune only had 120 hectares of cinnamon, but now it has increased to 200 hectares, with some households even developing nurseries to supply seedlings to people in the commune, district, and neighboring provinces.

To facilitate the development of cinnamon cultivation among the people, Trang Dinh district has implemented policies to support capital investment, organized numerous training courses on cinnamon planting and care techniques, applied scientific and technical advancements to production, and established linkages in production and product consumption.

Recognizing the value of cinnamon trees, the Trang Dinh district government has encouraged the people to expand the cultivation area.

Mr. Trieu Van Thu, residing in Phan Thanh village, De Tham commune, Trang Dinh district, stated: His family owns approximately 2.5 hectares of cinnamon trees that have been planted for three years. Specifically in 2024, his family received government support in the form of fertilizer to care for the cinnamon trees. Thanks to this fertilizer support and technical guidance on cinnamon tree care, his family expects the yield and quality of the cinnamon to improve compared to before.

“Depending on the age of the cinnamon trees, 1 hectare of trees aged 8-10 years or older will yield about 8 tons. With a price of about 20-30 thousand VND/ton of fresh cinnamon, each hectare can bring in about 200-230 million VND. On average, one mature cinnamon tree brings in about 200 thousand VND. Hopefully, cinnamon trees will help my family develop economically and increase our income,” Mr. Trieu Van Thu further shared.

Similarly, Mr. Hoang Van Dai from Khuoi Cu village, Tan Tien commune, Trang Dinh district, said that his family currently owns 4 hectares of land planted with cinnamon trees. Previously, his family mainly planted eucalyptus and acacia trees on this land... however, due to climatic and soil conditions, these trees yielded low productivity and low economic efficiency.

Thanks to agricultural officials promoting new plant varieties such as star anise and cinnamon, Mr. Dai's family and many other households in the commune decided to switch to growing cinnamon trees in 2010. To date, Mr. Dai's family harvests over two tons of cinnamon products annually, generating a total income of over 100 million VND per year. Cinnamon trees have helped his family, as well as many other families in the village, overcome poverty, improve their lives, and ensure their children receive a full education.

Mr. Hoang Ngoc Hung, Chairman of the Tan Tien Commune People's Committee, said: "The commune has over 1,000 hectares of cinnamon trees. Annual income from cinnamon cultivation can reach hundreds of millions of dong for local households. Many poor households have escaped poverty, built spacious houses, and have better conditions for their children's education."

Currently, Trang Dinh district continues to implement mechanisms and policies to support and invest in the development of raw material areas, production and consumption chains, and enhance the value of cinnamon and star anise to meet the needs and standards of the domestic and export markets.

To date, several concentrated forest planting areas have been established in Trang Dinh district, such as the cinnamon growing areas in De Tham, Kim Dong, Tan Tien, and Doan Ket communes, with a total cinnamon area of ​​nearly 7,000 hectares and an estimated yield of over 800 tons of dried cinnamon bark. One model and two cinnamon product linkage chains have been maintained, covering a total area of ​​179.44 hectares, achieving 300% of the plan. This has created linkages for supplying materials, fertilizers, and guaranteeing product sales for participating households.

In addition, the entire district has about 20 cinnamon seedling nurseries that supply more than 20 million seedlings to people in the district and neighboring provinces.

Currently, cinnamon trees are the main crop for economic development in Trang Dinh district.

Cinnamon trees have made a significant contribution to the local poverty reduction campaign, thereby promoting socio-economic development and improving the lives of people in the area. As of October 2024, the total number of poor households in the district was 427, accounting for 2.47% (a decrease of 1.87%). The number of near-poor households was 1350, accounting for 7.81% (a decrease of 0.39%).

Ms. Nong Thi Kim Oanh, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Trang Dinh District, said: Currently, cinnamon is the main crop for economic development in Trang Dinh District. Developing cinnamon cultivation not only helps utilize the local advantages of planting and protecting forests while simultaneously exploiting them, focusing on greening barren land and hills to reduce erosion, prevent landslides, and protect water resources, but also opens up new avenues for people to develop their economy, increase income, contribute to poverty reduction, and improve the living standards of local people.

Opening a path out of poverty through cinnamon

Source: https://baodantoc.vn/xoa-doi-giam-ngheo-tu-mo-hinh-trong-que-o-trang-dinh-1734406307819.htm