Nhan Dan - Vinh Thanh, also called Cai Mon (Cho Lach, Ben Tre province) well-known for growing fruit-trees in the Southern provinces, has just been recognised and provided with the certificate of a trade village.

So far, 10 hamlets of Vinh Thanh commune have been recognised as trade villages. Seedlings and ornamental flowers growing trade has been handed down from generation to generation, from families to families in Vinh Thanh commune. “Vinh Thanh farmers work hard day in day out because they see much benefit from this kind of work such as: stable consumption, easily borrowed funds and so on. Gradually, they have improved their professional skills and built up their own reputation. More and more households in Vinh Thanh commune are becoming well off”, said Mr. Nguyen Van Hoa.

Along with technological transfer, the support of capital and transportation is also a matter of great importance. Head of the Tay Loc hamlet, Mai Van Thung said: “Besides the technological factors, capital and transportation are vital for growing plants and flowers. In the past, the devil take the hindmost, mainly the farmers cared for themselves, let alone the means of transport was undertaken only on the waterway. As a result, the trade developed at a snail’s pace and could not meet the requirements of development. For 5 to 7 years now, the government has given more care with bank loans and road upgrading, the trade has favourable conditions to fare better”. The Vinh Thanh people’s living standard as well as public works has been improved considerably. Muddy roads in Tay Loc hamlet were replaced with concrete or asphalted roads. One household after another grow seedlings and ornamental flowers and they can gather them any time by many means of transport: motorbikes, hand carts, canoes, junks and so on.

Binh Tay with an area of 198 hectares and a population of 2,983 people (706 households) is the hamlet producing the biggest number of seedlings and ornamental flowers in Vinh Thanh commune. Growing seedlings and flowers has become the traditional trade of Binh Tay since 1983, according to Nguyen Van Thuong – head of the Binh Tay hamlet.

Many kinds of succulent fruits such as: rambutan, durian, mango, guava, jackfruit, orange, mandarin, pomelo and so on have been grown in Binh Tay.

In 2003, only 156 households in Tay Loc grew seedlings and ornamental flowers with an average income of VND 24 million each. In 2008, the number of households was increased and the average income went up to VND 50 million each household. Once getting profits, farmers invest in growing new kinds of plants and flowers in combination with applying advanced technology to ensure the quality and quantity for domestic and international needs.

The head of Vinh Hung hamlet one stressed that: ‘it is required to protect trade name and preserve the gene source for a sustainable development. Besides, side jobs such as pot making, basket weaving and others are also important in service to the main trade’. The fact has shown that if the average income of plant growers is VND 30 to 100 million, then the incomes of pot makers and basket weavers are VND 1.5 million and VND 900,000 per month respectively.

Le Quang Nhung