We came to Nhon An commune, An Nhon district when its apricot blossom villages were busy in preparing for Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday. Growing apricot blossoms has enriched the local residents’ life.
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Apricot blossoms bring Sau Long’s family VND300-500 million per year. Photo SGGP
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Nhon An’s residents started to grow apricot blossoms 20 years ago. It initially saw only some households in Hao Duc hamlet, but Nhon An is now called the “apricot blossom commune”. Many farmers became millionaires thanks to apricot blossoms.
“Growing apricot blossoms has made many farmers become rich overnight in recent years,” Bui Thanh Long (also called Sau Long), a Hao Duc’s resident, happily said. “In Hao Duc, a household could easily earn hundreds of millions of VND per year.”
Sau Long is now growing nearly 3,000 yellow apricot blossom plants, including 1,000 ones which are over five years old.
“Apricot blossoms gave me VND800 million last year,” Long added. “I also earned VND300-500 million in previous years and I hope I will get more than VND400 million in 2011.”
On the way to Hao Duc hamlet, people could easily see Tu Khoa’s apricot blossom garden in which there are 350 apricot blossoms plants, including over 100 plants which are more than 30 years old. Each of his apricot blossom pots is worth VND15-60 million.
He shocked all villagers when exchanging four apricot blossom pots for a VND600 million-car several years ago. The whole district was also in a state of shock after Tu Khoa had built a VND one billion-house in 1996. He is very famous but not many think he is a millionaire when seeing him for the first time.
“My wife and I could hardly afford 12 children when growing rice 20 years ago,” he said. “But apricot blossom pots have brought us a new life since 1989.”
Khoa is now the Chairman of Nhon An commune’s bonsai association, attracting 700 farmers who are all apricot blossom growers.
According to the statistics, Nhon An now has over 2,500 households of which 1,500 are growing apricot blossoms. Apart from Tu Khoa and Sau Long, there are other “farmer millionaires”, such as Sau Ngu, Le Van Phu, Bui Thanh Long, Ho Minh Nhut, and Truong Hao.
Nhon An’s apricot blossom growers annually earn VND6-8 billion in recent years, let alone VND 4 billion from Hao Duc hamlet.
When we expressed our worry about the cold weather which could badly affect apricot blossoms, Chairman of Nhon An commune People’s Committee Bui Van Cu said the cold weather has never been problematic as all professional apricot blossom growers knew how to make their apricot blossoms bloom in time for the Tet holiday.
Apricot blossom gardens have gradually dominated in other districts of Tuy Phuoc, Phu Cat, and Hoai Nhon as well as Quy Nhon city. Binh Dinh’s yellow apricot blossoms are now seen in Central Highlands, north and south regions.
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