Speaking about the agricultural sector, specifically mulberry cultivation in Lam Dong, Dr. Le Quang Tu, Chairman of the Vietnam Mulberry and Silk Association: “Few places have development advantages. Develop mulberry silk like Lam Dong.” This is a place with a very suitable climate and soil for growing mulberry trees, which is suitable for silkworm care twelve months a year. Heaven and earth, favorable conditions, human harmony, few places offer such favorable conditions for the silk industry as Lam Dong.
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To develop the economy, thousands of households in Lam Dong in recent years have focused on converting inefficient crops to growing mulberries and breeding silkworms. In Village 5 (Lien S’ronh Township, Dam Rong District), the family of Mr. Sung Vang Tinh (27 years old, H’Mong ethnic group) is destined to plant mulberries and raise silkworms from 2021.
In Lam Dong Province, there are currently 10,000 hectares of strawberries, with about 15,000 households involved in the production. Picture: Minh Hau.
Mr. Tinh shared that years ago, the family’s life depended solely on paddy fields, cassava and bo-bo trees on the hill. “Since the production is based on nature, only the rainy season is enough each year. During the dry season, his family couldn’t grow rice, so he had to go elsewhere to find a job.
In 2021, Mr. Tinh realized that mulberry cultivation was effective and therefore started to renovate 1,500m² of the garden on the hill to convert it to mulberry cultivation. In this area, the mulberry tree grows vigorously, is green all year round and provides a leaf source for rearing half a box of silkworms a month. With this model, his family now has a stable income of 6-8 million VND/month. At present, his family continues to convert 0.5 hectares of inefficient crops, poor soil and inefficient crops into growing mulberries for silkworm breeding.
In Lam Ha District, growing mulberries and silkworms provides livelihoods and opportunities to enrich thousands of households. Ms Nguyen Thi Nga, who lives in Phuc Tho Township, said the family’s coffee garden was old and inefficient six years ago, so she decided to tear it down and switch to growing mulberries for silkworm farming.
“First the family remodeled 0.2 ha and then remodeled the rest of the area. “The current source of mulberry leaves is enough for the family to raise 4-5 boxes of silkworms per month,” Nguyen Thi Nga shared, adding that the family has a stable income of over 200 million VND/ year has.
“The investment capital for growing mulberries and raising silkworms is not too high, the production techniques are not too difficult, so it is very suitable for development.” Income so that the family’s economy is always guaranteed,” Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga shared.
At present, many inefficient cultivation areas have been renovated by the people of Lam Dong Province and converted into cultivation of mulberry trees for silkworm breeding. Picture: Minh Qui.
Like Ms. Nga and Mr. Tinh, the economy of Mr. Krajan Ha Si’s family (K’ho Cil ethnic group, residing in Me Linh Township, Lam Ha District) has improved since he fell in love with silkworms and silk threads.
According to Mr. Ha Si, the beauty of developing mulberry trees is that the family can not only convert the inefficient cultivation area, but also use the open land near the house, the river bank and the field to grow more mulberries.
“Strawberry trees are easy to grow, and the maintenance technique is also simple. “Currently, the family’s entire mulberry acreage is guaranteed for raising 1 box of silkworms/month,” said Mr. Krajan Ha Si.
According to the People’s Committee of Me Linh Township (Lam Ha District), local households have focused on land reclamation to develop the economy, with many households converting poor land areas to plant mulberry trees for silkworm breeding. Currently, households of the K’ho Cil ethnic group in Me Linh have implemented a model of mulberry cultivation for rearing silkworms, ranging from 1 to 3.5 cases of silkworms per household. On average, each box of silkworms harvests nearly 60kg of cocoons, helping people improve their income and stabilize their lives.
The strawberry acreage increases by 8-10% per year
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Lam Dong Province, the province’s mulberry acreage currently covers about 10,000 hectares with over 15,000 producing households. The current local production of mulberry leaves is estimated at 250,000 tons/year. The cultivation of mulberries and the breeding of silkworms has led to high economic efficiency and helped people become wealthy, particularly by creating sustainable livelihoods for ethnic minorities.
Mr Nguyen Van Chau, deputy director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Lam Dong Province, said the mulberry silk industry was established in the area decades ago and has spread widely to 11 counties and cities. Of these, it is concentrated in Lam Ha District at 3.8 thousand hectares, Da Teh District at 1.6 thousand hectares, Duc Trong District at 1.6 thousand hectares, Bao Loc City at 750 hectares, and districts such as Di Linh , Dam Rong, Bao Lam, etc. Da Huoai, Cat Tien.
Thanks to the cultivation of mulberries for silkworm breeding, many ethnic minority households in Lam Dong have a stable source of income. Picture: Minh Hau.
Due to the high economic efficiency, the mulberry area is now interested in expansion by people and companies. On average, the area under strawberry cultivation increases by 8-10% every year. The increase in mulberry acreage is mainly due to less productive crops.
Mr. Vu Ba Yeu, deputy head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Lam Ha District, said the district currently has about 3.8 thousand hectares of mulberry trees and has a cocoon production of over 7,000 tons per year. The mulberry industry was established in the area in the 1980s and has continued to invest, develop scientifically and methodically to this day.
“We have introduced new, high-yielding strawberry varieties such as S7-CB, VA-201, etc. into production on over 90% of the area. With these strawberry varieties, the yield can reach over 500 quintals/ha,” said Mr. Vu Ba Yeu.
In addition to introducing new varieties of mulberries into production, mulberry growers and silkworm breeders also apply new technologies in production. These include breeding investment models that apply the process of raising silkworms on the floor or in the cages, using a worm step by step instead of the previous bamboo to improve the quality of the cocoons. In addition, investments are made in intensive agriculture, organic fertilizers are used and economical irrigation is used to increase strawberry yields.
Many new technical advances in silkworm farming have been translated into production, helping farmers increase their productivity and product quality. Picture: Minh Qui.
Like Lam Ha, the Bao Loc city government has recognized that mulberry cultivation is one of the industries that bring high economic value, and has focused on investment and development. Households, cooperatives and companies have set up models for mixed cultivation and special cultivation of the high-quality strawberry varieties S7-CB on a total area of 750 ha. With this method, the strawberry yield has increased from only 15-20 tons/ha before to 30-35 tons/ha now.
“With the current mulberry acreage, silkworm producers in the city can grow 32,000 to 33,000 boxes of silkworm eggs, equivalent to about 1,400 to 1,485 tons of cocoons, or about 192,857 kg of silk,” said Mr. Nguyen Van Nham, head of the Bao Loc City Economy Ministry.
Mr. Nguyen Van Chau, deputy director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Lam Dong, said the place has advantages in developing the mulberry silk industry, and the agricultural sector has provided recommendations and instructions for production. Accordingly, the site encourages people, cooperatives and businesses to convert inefficient cropland by planting mulberry trees to raise silkworms, particularly in alluvial areas to improve poor soil and provide low income for strawberry cultivation. As a result, the transition has helped increase mulberry acreage from 6.8,000 hectares in 2019 to 10,000 hectares in 2023.
Lam Dong is a province with a long history and many advantages in the mulberry and silk industry. Picture: Minh Hau.
“Currently, the high price of silkworm cocoons has contributed to rapid reduction in people’s poverty. This industry has advantages in diversification of crops and livestock and promotes agricultural restructuring towards sustainability. “Much effort has been made by local authorities to recognize the income potential, particularly suitable for household economy, to develop effectively in ethnic minority areas,” said Mr Nguyen Van Chau.
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Ha, Deputy Head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dam Rong District, the site currently has about 630 hectares of strawberries with about 1,200 production households, of which 152 hectares are newly planted. Currently, the price of silkworm cocoons is at a high level, ranging from 210,000 to 230,000 VND/kg, so mulberry farmers make big profits.
In addition to switching inefficient crops to growing mulberries to raise silkworms, the town also encouraged companies to invest in silk nurseries and silk weaving. At present, a silk factory is operating in Dam Rong, and a chain of links in the production and consumption of products has been established to help farmers stabilize production.