Planting the “progress king” tree, farmers are tired of picking leaves to count money during Tet
Although the betel tree is harvested all year round, in the last days of the year consumption has increased
Although it is no longer commonly used as in the past, betel leaves still help people in Vi Thuy and Hau Giang districts to rise out of poverty. Compared with rice cultivation, betel nut has a stable income, low price, and still no loss.
Not rice or livestock, poultry, and green betel leaves are the livelihood to help people in Vi Thuy betel nut village (Vi Thuy commune, Vi Thuy district, Hau Giang province) escape poverty and raise their children to eat. studied for decades.
Mr. Nguyen Van Doi – Director of the Golden Betel Cooperative (Cooperative) said that betel nut has been planted in Vi Thuy for a long time, but has been popular since 1975. Due to the custom of eating betel nut and betel scented to worship on important days. , marriage, so the betel nut business of the relatives is very convenient. Many people “invited” each other to plant this kind of creeper for “play” and Vi Thuy betel nut village was born from there.
“Betel nut is very easy to live. When planted, just cover it with straw to keep the soil moist. Betel nut is too long. If the betel vine is too long, you can cut the top of the pin into the ground and add a new wire. Every year, you only need to replace the betel nut (to betel nut) once, there is no need to change the rope, so the life cycle of the betel nut is quite long,” said Mr. Doi.
For every 1,000m2 of land, farmers can grow about 1,000 betel stingers. Betel venom is made from the melaleuca tree because the melaleuca stem helps the betel nut to take root and grow well.
After 3-4 months of sowing, betel nut will start to give leaves, so about 10 days to pick 1 time. In particular, betel nut only likes organic fertilizers, if you want large, shiny betel leaves, then after harvesting, you should water more fertilizer.
“Betel leaves are harvested all year round. Compared to every year, the price of betel this year has increased significantly. A panel of betel leaves (40 leaves) costs 6,000 VND. At this rate until Tet (Lunar New Year) , it can increase to 10,000 VND/case.” The Director of Trau Vang Cooperative excitedly predicted. ($1=25,000 VND)
Currently, the cooperative has 22 member households with a planting area of 16ha. On average, each household has from 1,000 to 5,000 square meters of betel land. It is estimated that each year, betel-growing households earn 100 million VND, many times higher than rice cultivation. Besides creating a source of income for garden owners, betel nut is also a “fishing rod” for local leisure workers .
Mrs. Sau (a hired betel nut picker) said that every day she starts picking betel nut from 6 am and ends around 11 pm. Normally, betel nut pickers will work in groups, at the end of the session, based on the number of betel nut harvested, the pay will be divided among each person.
“On average, we pick about 600 tiles per day, if we can divide them up to 120,000 VND/person. The income is lower compared to traveling to rent rice fields, but this job is done close to home, so we don’t have to suffer much sun,” said Ms. Sau.
Betel nut is a special plant used for the purpose of eating fresh leaves and making offerings in wedding customs, so the main product consumed today is fresh betel leaves. In addition, Vi Thuy betel leaves are also consumed strongly in the Taiwanese market since 2015.
“We supply betel leaves through an intermediary, where we buy betel leaves and then pack them for export to Taiwan. The output provides 10,000 panels equivalent to 400,000 betel leaves per month,” Mr. Doi informed.
Talking to PV, Mr. Le Vu Phuong – Chairman of the Vi Thuy Commune Farmers’ Association said that the betel-growing village has helped many local households rise out of poverty and have conditions to raise their children to study. In particular, the province has a tourism development program for Vi Thuy betel nut village, widening roads to attract tourists to visit. This is a good sign to help people both promote the culture of the traditional craft village and open up more opportunities for local economic development.
Photo: Internet (vinlove.net)
