About Dong Cong, listen to the earth change

After storm No. 3 (Wipha), we visited Mr. Dam Van Thuc's family in Dong Cong village just as he and his workers were finishing their new house. Mr. Thuc confided: "Last April, my family started building a new garden-style house, 140 square ^meters wide. The project is expected to be completed next August, with an estimated total cost of more than 1 billion VND. Today's achievements are largely thanks to the income from pineapple plants."

Mr. Dam Van Thuc (right) shares pineapple care experience with Village Chief Tran Duc My.

Taking us to the pineapple hill behind his house, Mr. Thuc said that his family currently has more than 1 hectare of pineapple with about 60,000 trees. In the last pineapple crop, his family earned more than 150 million VND in profit. Like many other families in the village, Mr. Thuc knows how to regulate the pineapple trees to produce fruit out of season, with high selling prices. Normally, pineapples are harvested in the 5th lunar month, but thanks to proper technical intervention, he can regulate the harvest in the 3rd and 4th lunar months or from the 9th to the 12th lunar month.

According to Mr. Tran Duc My, Head of Dong Cong village, since 2010, some households here have known how to regulate pineapples for off-season harvest; by 2014, all pineapple growers in the village have mastered this technique. Therefore, income from pineapples has increased, and the pineapple area of the village has also expanded. Currently, the whole village has 40 hectares of pineapples, of which half of the area is produced according to VietGAP process. In the last pineapple crop, Dong Cong village harvested about 180 tons of fruit, after deducting expenses, the profit was more than 2.5 billion VND.

Coming to Dong Cong village, we also learned that the villagers are not only good at taking care of pineapple trees but also skillful in shaping, pruning branches, and applying the right techniques to make the peach trees bloom in time for the Lunar New Year. Although the peach trees have only been planted in the village for 4 years, the total area has reached 30 hectares. In the 2025 Tet peach crop alone, the villagers will earn about 8 billion VND, after deducting expenses, they will make a profit of 4 billion VND.

In addition, the local people also exploit the forest economy well. Currently, the whole village has about 500 hectares of planted forest, mainly new eucalyptus varieties. After 5 years of care, each hectare of forest brings a profit of 120 - 130 million VND. On the hills around the village, the people plant forest trees on the high ground, and pineapples and peaches are planted below, creating a harmonious ecosystem, both protecting the soil from erosion and providing year-round income.

Dong Cong village currently has 287 households, of which about 70% are ethnic minorities (mainly Nung ethnic group). Because the village is located in a remote area of the commune, bordering Lang Son province; 2/3 of the cultivated land area depends on rainwater, so before 2014, the economic life of the people here was extremely difficult, the poverty rate was 60% - 70%. However, thanks to knowing how to exploit the potential of garden and hill land, along with dynamism in labor and production, up to now, the economic life of the people has changed significantly. Currently, the village has only 6 poor households, accounting for 2% of the total number of households; well-off and rich households account for more than 60%. 100% of the village's roads are concreted. Thanks to that, the cultural and spiritual life of the people has been improved. In 2022, Dong Cong village was recognized as meeting new rural standards and for 3 consecutive years achieved the title of Provincial Cultural Village.

Article and photos: Do Thanh Nam

Source: https://baobacninhtv.vn/ve-dong-cong-nghe-dat-chuyen-minh-postid423185.bbg