At present, tens of households in Hamlet 2, Thanh Tam commune, Chon Thanh district, Binh Phuoc province have been deeply involved in model of planting bamboos for shoots. Households planting less also have about one hectare of bamboos; some households can plant up to tens of hectares of bamboos. Investment in bamboos does not cost much, with about over VND1 million for bamboo seedlings. After eighteen months of growing bamboos, growers will harvest bamboo shoots. Techniques of planting bamboos are fairly simple and bamboos do not need much to take care. It is just watering in dry season, helping bamboos grow normally. The big benefit is that bamboos are less susceptible to pests or diseases.
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| Growing bamboos for shoots in Binh Phuoc province. |
People in hamlet no. 2, Thanh Tam commune, plant Dien Truc and Manh Tong bamboo varieties mostly. These are varieties for high yield, about tens of tons of fresh bamboo shoots in one hectare each year. Ngo Van Sum, a bamboo grower says, planting bamboos for shoots makes more benefits than planting cashew and technique for taking care of bamboos is also easy. Subtracting expenses for bamboos, his family earns over VND50 million/hectare.
“If taken care well, bamboo shoots will grow fast and strongly, having lots of bamboo buds and each of shoot weighing from 1 kilogram to 6 kilograms. Bamboos can produce shoots everyday, even in dry season if watered adequately. Now, this region, every day, supplies tens of tons of bamboo shoots to markets in and out the province. Bamboo shoots are being considered favorites of many people, especially ones in urban areas. Price of one kilogram of shoots fluctuate from VND5 to VND15, depending on times”, adds he.
Tran Lieu, Chairman of Farmers Association of Thanh Tam Commune, Chon Thanh district, Binh Phuoc province says, “For the time being, the association plans to multiply this model, find more markets for products and have supportive programs for farmers. Along with economic benefits, growing bamboos for shoots also helps to air-condition and purify air for environment protection and contributes substantially to soil fertility improvement. Bamboos are also sources of wood production and handicrafts with high value.
Source: Dong Nai Newspaper, translated by Hoai Thu
