KON TUM – When the Schisandra fruit is ripe, people in Tu Mo Rong district go to the forest around September and October to pick and sell to traders, making millions every day.
At dawn, Mr. A Thien, 28 years old, and three people in Ngoc Lay commune drove a motorbike towards the forest of Mang Ruong 1 village, about 3 km from home. When they reached the edge of the forest, they abandoned the car and walked.
Four men carried baskets, divided into groups, went in two directions, and wriggled through the jungle. After climbing for half an hour, A Thien and his friend discovered two Schisandra trees, nearly 10 meters tall, with branches laden with ripe, red fruits.
A Thien climbed up the tree to pick the fruit, while the other person stood on the ground to pick it up and put it in a basket. They pick about 1-2 kg of fruit from each tree and only take small branches, not cutting down large branches, which affects the growth of the tree. “Xo Dang people always respect and know how to protect forest trees,” Mr. A Thien said.
To find big trees with lots of fruit, A Thien’s group went deep into the forest, where the altitude was 1,200 m or more and the path was dangerous. On average every day, one person in the group picks 30-50 kg, sometimes a whole quintal if they come across a large, fruitful tree. With a selling price of 10,000-12,000 VND per kg, forest workers can earn millions of VND per day.
Schisandra belongs to the climbing plant family, has a sour and astringent taste, and lives for a long time in the Ngoc Linh mountain area, Tu Mo Rong district. In September and October every year, this fruit begins to ripen. In addition to its strange sour and astringent taste, the fruit is also considered a medicinal herb with antibacterial effects, protects the liver, detoxifies the body, reduces fatigue…
According to A Thien, in the past, people going to the fields often picked this fruit to eat. In recent years, traders have come to the commune to buy five spices to bring income to the people. Therefore, around September and October, taking advantage of the time when the rice is not yet ripe or when the harvest is finished, people in Ngoc Lay, Dak Na, Te Xang, Mang Ri communes… go to the forest to pick to earn extra income.
Mr. Nguyen Anh Vu, Vice Chairman of Ngoc Lay Commune People’s Committee, said that schisandra is evenly distributed in the villages, with an area of more than 10 hectares. The whole commune has about 300 households. During the season, they take advantage of the time they go to work in the fields to pick schisandra to sell to traders. Each year it is estimated that people in the commune collect 10-20 tons.
According to Mr. Vu, the commune currently has two business units purchasing schisandra from people. Ripe fruit, in addition to being eaten, is also soaked in sugar until fermented, then mixed into a special wine made from schisandra in the mountains. Many families and cooperatives also process fermented, dried schisandra and use it as raw materials to make other products.
Mr. Duong Thai Khoa, Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tu Mo Rong district, said the whole district has more than 30 hectares of schisandra trees. The locality has a policy of effectively developing and exploiting this medicinal herb into a typical product of the region.
($1=24,000 VND)
Photo,Video: Internet (Vinlove.net)