Phieng Cam has a variety of crops.

Farmers in Phieng Cam commune harvest tea.

Phieng Cam has more than 4,000 hectares of agricultural land. Previously, most of this area was used by people to grow corn and cassava, with low economic efficiency and unstable income. In recent years, with guidance and encouragement from specialized sectors, people have shifted to growing crops with higher economic value. In particular, the area of coffee has grown to 1,405 hectares, becoming the main crop, with an output of over 20,000 tons/year.

The family of Mr. Song A Chia in Bo Ban village, Phieng Cam commune, is one of the households with a good income from crop restructuring. He said: My family has 4 hectares of coffee, each year we harvest 60-80 tons of fruit, earning about 300 million VND in profit after deducting expenses. Previously, due to difficult roads, selling to traders was unstable, prices were erratic. For more than 3 years now, Provincial Road 113 has been upgraded, traffic is convenient, coffee is easier to sell, helping the family have a stable income.

For many years, tea trees have been associated with the people here. The tea area of the whole commune is currently nearly 30 hectares, mainly Kim Tuyen, O Long, and Taiwanese varieties, concentrated in the villages of Nong Tau Thai, Nong Tau Mong, Huoi Nha, and Phieng Phu; the output reaches over 300 tons/year. The production and consumption of products is conveniently undertaken by Son La Tea Joint Stock Company. The entire growing area, from the care and processing process to the decision on the harvest date, is strictly managed to ensure product quality. Every year, the Company processes 40 tons of finished tea, most of which is consumed in the provincial market.

Persimmon harvest season in Phieng Cam commune.

As one of the people who have been attached to tea trees since the early days of bringing them to Phieng Cam highlands, Mr. Lo Van Loan, in Nong Tau Thai village, has received more than 3,000 m² of tea from Son La Tea Joint Stock Company. Each year, the tea harvest alone brings his family over 50 million VND. Mr. Loan shared: The household that receives a large area to plant and care for will have more income. This year, the weather is favorable, with a lot of rain, so the tea grows evenly and is green. In addition to the annual land rent paid by the Company, my family is also paid for picking tea at 5,500 VND/kg, along with the cost of taking care of the tea trees, so the income from tea is about 4-5 million VND/month.

In addition to perennial industrial crops such as tea and coffee, the commune also encourages people to maintain a stable area of food crops, planting high-yielding rice varieties and high-quality hybrid corn on nearly 500 hectares. In particular, implementing the policy of planting fruit trees on sloping land, the commune mobilizes people in the pilot villages to deploy models of planting red-fleshed oranges, seedless persimmons, pears, yellow-fleshed passion fruit, mangoes, etc. Through evaluation, these models develop well, giving stable productivity, and income from 150-270 million VND/ha.

In 2016, with the support of the commune to visit some fruit growing models, Mr. Ha Van Vui, Nam Put village, converted 1.2 hectares of hill land to grow fruit trees. He shared: This is the 5th year that the oranges have been harvested, with an average yield of 13 tons/ha, selling price of 25,000 - 30,000 VND/kg, after deducting expenses, the income is over 300 million VND/ha/year. Currently, the oranges are in the green fruit stage but traders have pre-ordered the whole garden, so the family does not have to worry about output anymore.

Hybrid corn grown in Phieng Cam commune gives high yield.

Taking advantage of and exploiting the potentials and strengths of land, soil and climate, Phieng Cam commune has diversified its crops. Up to now, the total cultivated area of the commune has reached nearly 3,000 hectares; of which, grain crops are nearly 500 hectares, industrial crops are 1,425 hectares, and fruit trees are 297 hectares.

Mr. Dang Tien Dung, Chairman of Phieng Cam Commune People's Committee, said: Implementing the breakthrough in sustainable agricultural development set forth by the 1st Congress of the Commune Party Committee, term 2025 - 2030, the commune has flexibly used capital from programs and projects to support people in terms of seeds and techniques; directed organizations to entrust banks to lend people low-interest loans to invest in new crops. Coordinated with specialized agencies to guide people in appropriate plant care techniques; opened training classes, organized tours of effective economic models for replication; replaced old, low-yielding crops with new, high-quality varieties. The commune is actively looking for partners to consume products, piloting production models associated with processing and building OCOP products from tea, persimmons, etc. to develop a sustainable economy and increase people's income.

Each hillside is covered with green tea and coffee, and the fruit gardens are growing well, bringing hope for a prosperous life and affirming the transformation of the highland commune of Phieng Cam. The change in crop structure has brought economic efficiency, helping farmers gradually change their production mindset, develop sustainable agriculture, and effectively reduce poverty.

Source: https://baosonla.vn/nong-nghiep/phieng-cam-da-dang-cac-loai-cay-trong-ABJPpWeHR.html