(HBO) – Being keen on gardening, Nguyen Van Thang, born in Hanoi’s outlying Ba Vi district in 1969, has been spending more than 20 years in Thung Rech, a rich soil area in Tu Son commune of Kim Boi district (Hoa Binh province). Between 1992 and 1997, he was known as "King of Sugarcane” in Thung Rech. He was the first to grow sugarcane in the area, leading to a mass cultivation that helped local people alleviate hunger and reduce poverty.
Nguyen Van Thang stands next to a grapefruit nursery.
Thang has changed the mind
of local residents when he first brought red sugarcane to Thung Rech.
At first, he planted
sugarcane on one hectare and then expanded the area to three hectares. Each
hectare brought him an average annual income of 30 million VND. At the time, red
sugarcane growing became a solution to hunger elimination and poverty reduction
in the area and Thang was called "King of Sugarcane”. However, in 1998, all
sugarcane plantation areas were ruined by fires, causing great economic losses.
In 2000, Thang began growing oranges, mainly Xa Doai orange varieties, on a
1.5-ha area. His orange garden could produce 70 tonnes at its peak.
To date, his family’s orchards
have been expanded to nearly five hectares, of which three hectares of oranges,
one hectare of lemons and grapefruits, and one hectare of longans. The orchards
rake in over 1 billion VND in revenue each year, with a disposable profit of
700 million VND.
Thanks to his creative
dynamism and willingness to restructure the crops, Thang has turned himself
into a millionaire in Thung Rech. He has also created stable jobs and incomes for
15 labourers.
Since late 2016 when Thang
joined Muong Dong Agriculture & Trade Cooperative, he has been encouraged
to follow a farming model that is suitable to the locality’s potential and
advantages.
To help the crops develop
well, Thang combined different types of fertilizers for the best results.
Oranges from his garden
are sweet and become a favorite among consumers. Thang revealed that preventing
diseases and using fertilizers are the most important tasks in growing oranges
and mandarins. He frequently examines the garden to prune tree branches and
promptly detect symptoms of diseases. Thang and other members of the Muong Dong
Agriculture & Trade Cooperative are now following a new cultivation method
that promotes the use of organic fertilizers to ensure food safety and protect the
environment.
Thang’s achievements are
admirable, reflecting the aspiration and perseverance of a man who dares to
leave the city to settle in a remote area and always strives to get rid of poverty.
After several unsuccessful attempts to raise pigs, buffaloes and cows, Nguyen Hong Minh who resides in Mui hamlet, Hoa Binh city’s Doc Lap commune decided to try breeding bamboo rat.
Chairman of the Hoa Binh People’s Committee Bui Van Khanh on February 2 held a Lunar New Year meeting with businesses, investors and cooperation in the locality. The event drew Deputy Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the provincial People’s Council Bui Duc Hinh; Vice President of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry Hoang Quang Phong; representatives from the Vietnam Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and the Vietnam Association of Young Entrepreneurs; as well as leaders of local departments, sectors and localities and 200 local businesses, cooperatives and investors in the locality.
Following the successes achieved in 2023, the local agricultural and rural development sector, localities and cooperatives are gearing up for first orders of the year, as part of their efforts to boost agricultural exports.
Most workers at enterprises in the northern province of Hoa Binh have turned to work just one week after the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.
The Hoa Binh Power Corporation (PC Hoa Binh) has directed its units to build plans as well as arrange resources to ensure stable electricity for local winter-spring crop production.
On February 28, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Hoa Binh province coordinated with Minh Trung Vietnam Group joint Stock Company, Hoa Binh branch in Luong Son industrial park, Luong Son district organized a ceremony to export Bat Bao lotus porridge to the Japanese.