The policy of converting inefficient food crops on sloping land to fruit tree cultivation in Son La province has brought a more prosperous life to the people of various ethnic groups. Thanks to this sound policy, the people of Son La province in general, and in the border commune of Long Sap, Moc Chau town in particular, have learned to apply science and technology, improve the soil, and practice sustainable farming to escape poverty and build prosperous and beautiful border villages.

Following the policy of converting inefficient food crops on sloping land to fruit trees, people in Long Sap commune, Moc Chau town, have switched to growing plums, oranges, pomelos, etc., bringing high economic efficiency. Applying fertilizer according to the tree's growth cycle and scientifically pruning branches has helped the trees yield a stable harvest. With proper care, these trees can be harvested for several decades.

Mr. Hoang Van Thoa, Long Sap commune, Moc Chau town, Son La province"Previously, we used to grow corn, cassava, and arrowroot on this land, but it wasn't very profitable. Now we've switched to growing fruit trees, pomelos, and oranges. Generally, after careful cultivation, they're now bearing fruit. We feel life will be better; it will be more profitable than growing corn and arrowroot."

Ms. Ta Thi Nhung, Long Sap commune, Moc Chau town, Son La province"This year's plum harvest for my family is quite good compared to previous years. We've already earned around 52 million VND from the off-season plums. Now that the main plum season is underway and the plums are ripening, we expect to earn even more than in previous years. Compared to growing corn, the fertilizer and seeds were expensive in previous years, but the price was lower when we sold the finished product. If we can consistently grow plums like this year, we'll earn more than we would from growing corn."

Phiêng Cài is the first Hmong village in Lóng Sập commune to implement the conversion to fruit tree cultivation on sloping land. With a cultivated area of ​​up to 200 hectares, after nearly 10 years of conversion, plums, passion fruit, and pears have covered the barren hills with greenery, and many households have escaped poverty and risen to become well-off or wealthy.

Mr. Trang A Thai, Phieng Cai village, Long Sap commune, Moc Chau town, Son La province"Since 2018, my family started growing passion fruit, and it has yielded better economic results compared to short-term crops like corn and ginger. My family grows one hectare of passion fruit, while we only earn about 20-30 million VND per hectare from corn. However, growing passion fruit can bring in 50-60 million VND per year, which is much higher than corn or ginger. This is a much more profitable venture and aligns with the government's policy of prioritizing this crop."

Long Sap is a border commune, primarily inhabited by ethnic minorities. Despite its large cultivated area, the poverty rate remains high. In recent years, the local government has included fruit tree cultivation on sloping land in the commune's Party Congress Resolution, with a firm commitment to its implementation. As a result, the lives of the people have continuously improved, and sustainable poverty reduction and new rural development programs have also seen many positive changes.

Mr. Lo Hai Yen, Chairman of the People's Committee of Long Sap Commune, Moc Chau Town, Son La Province “The commune Party Committee has issued a resolution, directly assigning Party Committee members in charge of each village to hold meetings with the people to implement propaganda and mobilization. They are using models from some areas of the commune to mobilize and encourage the conversion of land, especially areas with less economically efficient crops on hillsides. For a long time, the people have purely grown corn, cassava, and potatoes, but now, in recent years, the area has converted 610 hectares to fruit trees.”

Thanks to sound policies, the active involvement of local Party committees and authorities, and the unity of the people, positive results have been achieved. This border region has been covered in a green hue full of hope, and the people of the border ethnic groups have reaped more bountiful and prosperous harvests.