Creating new direction for Nhon Hoa lotus

Lotus growers are often forced the price by traders over the past years because they have not had a stable output

Currently, Nhon Hoa commune has 300 hectares of lotus, of which the most is in Hai Hung hamlet. In 2009, Nhon Hoa commune established Hai Hung Lotus Cooperative Group. Accordingly, the cooperative group registered trademarks for lotus, lotus seeds and lotus root and was granted trademarks. However, due to financial difficulties, warehouse, machinery, equipment for preliminary processing, storage and output of the product are not stable, the cooperative group is not effective.

Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Nhon Hoa commune - Ngo Phuoc Xuyen said: “The lotus tree is suitable for low-lying and alum areas like Nhon Hoa commune, so it develops well, gives high yield and profits many times higher than rice cultivation. However, because the output has not been found, the price is still not stable. Most lotus growers have to sell through 2-3 intermediaries, so traders force the price. This affects the life of lotus growers”.

Ms. Tran Thi Lai's family, living in Hai Hung hamlet, has many years of experience in growing lotus, but she had to give up the lotus-growing job to move to another profession. Ms. Lai shared: “The cost of planting 1 hectare of lotus is much lower than growing rice, it only costs about 3 million VND per hectare, but the harvest lasts 4 months. However, the price of lotus buds is precarious, it is sometimes only 7,000 VND per kilo, so the growers cannot afford to hire workers to look for them. Therefore, my family decided to let someone else rent 2 hectares of lotus land and find other jobs to do”.

Ms. Dung (R) preliminary processes lotus into many products such as lotus powder, lotus flower, lotus tea, etc. This is considered a new direction to create a stable output for Nhon Hoa lotus

The most difficult problem for lotus growers at present is the unstable output, they are often forced by traders. This requires lotus growers to change their production practices to meet market demand and find a stable output for Nhon Hoa lotus. Ms. Ngo Thi My Dung, living in Hai Hung hamlet, understood this problem and bravely processed lotus into many products such as lotus powder, star-chain lotus, dried lotus, lotus tea, etc. Initially, these products received customer satisfaction and highly appreciated functional departments. Accordingly, Ms. Dung will be supported the machine for producing star-chain lotus and lotus powder by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in the coming time.

Ms. Dung said: “In Dong Thap, many farmers have made lotus products, sold at high prices and affirmed their brands, while the farmers in their hometown grow a lot of lotus but they sell at low prices. Sharing with local people, I decided to make many products from lotus. All products do not use preservatives, with high nutritional value, suitable for all ages. Hopefully, the growers of Nhon Hoa lotus will have a better life after being supported with machinery”.

It is known that Ms. Dung's family has purchased lotus flowers and lotus mirrors for more than 20 years. After that, she sold lotus lotus to traders in Ho Chi Minh City, while the lotus seed-pod sold to traders in Dong Thap. During the flooding season, her family purchases over 1 ton of lotus root, 4-5 tons of lotus seed-pod on average each day. The selling price of lotus root and seed-pod in the flooding season is less than 10,000 VND per kilo. At this price, lotus growers will not be profitable. Therefore, it is very suitable for Ms. Dung to process the lotus preliminarily, this creates a new direction for Nhon Hoa lotus, contributes to improving income and improving the quality of life of lotus growers./.

By Kim Ngoc – Translated by Duc Tam

Source: https://baolongan.vn/tao-huong-di-moi-cho-sen-nhon-hoa-a107909.html