Taro grown in the Man ethnic group brings high income to many farming households in Van Ho commune.

Van Ho commune has over 20 hectares of taro, mainly grown in Suoi Lin village and the villages of Thuong Cuong, Bo Nhang, Chieng Di... The taro here has a swollen main stem with 5 to 7 branches, resembling an elephant's foot, hence it is also called elephant foot taro; it is planted in December of the lunar calendar each year and harvested around September or October of the following year; each tuber weighs an average of 400-600 grams, the flesh is white and smooth, and when cooked it is very fragrant and soft.

In Suoi Lin village, 20 households cultivate taro on nearly 8 hectares of land. Currently, many villagers are beginning to harvest their taro. Mr. Dang Van Phong, Party Secretary and Head of Suoi Lin village, said: "This year, the taro yield is 5.5-6 tons per hectare, with a selling price of around 25,000 VND per kilogram. The villagers are very happy because everything they harvest is sold out. In recent years, with support from specialized agencies at the district and provincial levels, the local taro variety has become a distinctive agricultural brand. As a result, the area planted with taro has expanded, and the market is relatively stable, helping many households earn hundreds of millions of VND."

In 2023, Mr. Dang Van Vinh from Suoi Lin village earned over 100 million VND from growing taro. Due to the economic benefits, this year he continued to plant an additional 2,000 square meters of taro. Sharing his experience with this crop, Mr. Vinh said: "My family currently grows nearly 1 hectare of taro. From the beginning of September until now, we have harvested about 2.7 tons, earning nearly 70 million VND. The weather in Van Ho is rainy and humid, so growing taro is very suitable, but it is necessary to regularly till the soil, remove weeds, and check for pests and diseases to take preventive measures."

From 2017-2019, the Suoi Lin village was the site of a project by Son La College titled "Conservation and Development of the Man Taro Variety towards Commercial Production," researching and applying cultivation techniques to improve the yield and quality of the indigenous taro variety. In 2021, the Van Ho District Agricultural Services Center continued to provide fertilizer, seeds, and supplies to seven households in Suoi Lin village to expand the model of growing Man taro.

Ms. Mui Thi Lien, Deputy Director of the Van Ho District Agricultural Service Center, informed: According to assessments, the investment cost for 1 hectare of taro is only about 17 million VND, but it can yield a profit of over 90 million VND. With low production costs and high economic efficiency, the "man" taro is becoming a crop that helps many households in Suoi Lin village and Van Ho commune get rich. In the future, the Center will continue to support households in training on technical procedures for planting, caring for, controlling pests and diseases, harvesting, and post-harvest preservation to improve farming skills, increase intensive cultivation, and enhance product quality. The goal is to build the Van Ho "man" taro brand into an OCOP (One Commune One Product) product.

Van Ho taro is harvested at the beginning of winter, which is also the peak tourist season in Van Ho. Delicious dishes made from taro, such as taro soup with bone broth and vegetables, and charcoal-grilled taro with sugar dip, are prepared by restaurant and homestay owners. Their fragrant, chewy, and delicious flavor makes them a popular choice for tourists to buy as souvenirs.

From now until 2025, Van Ho district plans to develop an additional 2.5 hectares of taro in Thuong Cuong and Bo Nhang villages, Van Ho commune, and neighboring communes such as To Mua and Long Luong. Simultaneously, the district will encourage households to establish cooperatives for taro cultivation, expanding the cultivated area through contractual agreements with units that guarantee product output. The district will also strengthen promotion and marketing efforts to enhance the value of taro, linking it with community tourism development.

Source: baosonla.gov.vn