Members of Nhan Thuan Cooperative, Ca Nang Commune, Quynh Nhai District, exchange techniques on growing millennium trees.

Ms. Hoang Thi Doan, Vice Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, informed: In the first years after implementing resettlement of Son La hydropower plant, because most of the production land area was in flooded areas, people's production encountered many difficulties. With the determination not to wait or rely on state support, the Party Committee and the commune government coordinated with the district's specialized agencies to promote propaganda and mobilize people to change the structure of crops and livestock, especially exploiting the potential of the lake surface for aquaculture and focusing on managing, protecting and developing forests.

Currently, Ca Nang is one of the communes with the largest forest area in Quynh Nhai district, with 10,664 hectares of natural forest, the forest coverage rate is over 64%. For many years, Ca Nang has become a bright spot in forest management, protection and development. Every year, the commune coordinates with the District Forest Protection Department to review and determine the boundaries of the planned land for agricultural and forestry production to guide people in farming and implement the sustainable forestry development program.

In 2024, Ca Nang will have more than 7,000 hectares of forest eligible to provide environmental services, of which 7 forest owners are village communities who will be paid 3 billion 578 million VND for forest environmental services. The commune has coordinated with the District Forest Protection Department and the Thuan Chau - Quynh Nhai Forest Protection and Development Fund Branch to guide and supervise the use of forest environmental service money in accordance with approved regulations.

Mr. Ha Trong Tai, a local forest ranger, informed: The village management board, forest protection teams, together with forest rangers regularly propagate and disseminate legal regulations on protection and fire prevention. Over the past years, the entire area of ​​natural forests in Ca Nang has been well protected and developed, not only creating more livelihoods from forestry, but also from the revenue from forest environmental services, helping the villages have the conditions to build works to serve the people's lives and production. Currently, 7/7 villages have concrete roads, and the lighting system is built from the source of forest environmental services.

Effectively exploiting the potential and developing the forest economy, in 2020, the commune established Nhan Thuan Cooperative in Pa Lo village with 11 members, specializing in growing medicinal plants under the forest canopy. Mr. Lo Van Chau, Director of the Cooperative, shared: After visiting a number of provinces and surveying the market demand for medicinal plants, with the support of the commune government and the village management board, the Cooperative invested in pilot planting of 3 hectares of velvet khoi and thousand-year-old trees under the forest canopy. In 2022, about 400 kg of dried velvet khoi leaves will be harvested, with a selling price of 100,000-150,000 VND/kg; by 2023, 800 kg of dried thousand-year-old tubers will be harvested, with a selling price of 40,000 VND/kg. Up to now, the Cooperative has grown to 21 members and expanded its area to 50 hectares in the villages, mainly growing thousand-year-old trees.

Leading us into the medicinal plant growing area of ​​the cooperative, under the humid forest canopy covered with the green color of the millennium tree, Mr. Chau said that this is a perennial plant, the stem is the tuber part lying underground, growing quickly in places with high humidity and lots of humus. The millennium tree is harvested in spring and autumn, the medicinal part is the tuber, the old root.

According to oriental medicine, the plant has the effect of eliminating rheumatism, strengthening tendons and bones, treating lower back pain, knee pain, joint swelling, and leg cramps and paralysis. Because it is a natural plant, it is planted once, and when harvested, only a part of the root needs to be left underground for the plant to grow back. As for the plant khôi nhung, it is a precious medicinal herb used in oriental medicine to treat stomach ulcers, duodenal ulcers, allergies, hives, and itching.

Currently, Nhan Thuan Cooperative is focusing on growing seedlings and cooperating with households in the commune to expand the area. When there are products, the Cooperative will purchase them. According to calculations, from the third year onwards, each hectare of velvet and thousand-year-old trees after deducting costs will bring in an income of more than 100 million VND.

The goal is to achieve new rural standards by the end of this year. Currently, along with mobilizing people to focus on intensive cultivation of 610 hectares of food crops and upland crops, raising more than 3,000 large cattle, and raising 40 fish cages on the Son La hydroelectric reservoir, the commune government has directed the villages to use part of the forest environmental service fee to support seedlings for people to expand the area of ​​medicinal plants under the forest canopy. At the same time, coordinate with specialized agencies and enterprises to guide cooperatives and people in preliminary processing, preservation, and linking product consumption.

Ngoc Thuan