Cao Bang: Growing black jelly to reduce poverty

For Cao Bang people, black jelly trees are not only sold to produce jelly locally, but are also a very stable export item to foreign countries. Thanks to that, the black jelly growing profession is increasingly focused on by people to develop and expand the area in many localities in Cao Bang province.

Ms. Hoang Thi Thuan, in Dong Khe commune, Cao Bang province, said: "For the past few years, my family has converted 100% of the area to grow black jelly. The advantage of this plant is that it is easy to grow and care for. The consumption market is also very favorable. As soon as it is produced, traders come to the house to buy it, so there is no worry about unsold products. Therefore, people here really like to grow this type of plant."

Up to now, in Dong Khe commune, there are still many typical households in developing black jelly cultivation such as the families of Mr. Nong Van Kim, Mr. Nong Van Thao, Vinh Quang hamlet, earning more than 100 million VND/year from selling black jelly plants.

Ms. Nong Thu Huong, in Dong Khe commune, said: “Compared to other crops, black jelly has many advantages, low planting costs, but better productivity and income, so black jelly cultivation is considered by local people as a “poverty reduction tree”. In recent years, black jelly has had a fairly high price, from 45-50 thousand VND/kg, so people have had a good harvest from growing black jelly, helping households develop and escape poverty very well”.

Currently, the localities with the largest black jelly growing areas in Cao Bang province are Dong Khe commune; Canh Tan commune; Minh Khai commune; Kim Dong commune; Kim Dong commune; Duc Long commune... Each year, black jelly trees bring tens of billions of dong in income to farmers in the above communes.

Since black jelly trees have been widely grown in Cao Bang, it has also promoted the commercial production of black jelly to develop more strongly, with many establishments established in the past few years, thanks to which Cao Bang now has more black jelly products that meet OCOP standards.

Ms. Nong Thi Le Thuy, owner of Le Thuy black jelly production facility in Dong Khe commune, said: In 2015, realizing that black jelly was popular with consumers, I discussed with my family to build a professional black jelly production facility, ensuring quality, and wholeheartedly bringing the local specialty dish far and wide, distributing it to many provinces and cities across the country.

To produce large quantities and ensure quality, I invest in modern machinery combined with traditional manual production methods to produce quality products. Although Le Thuy black jelly products do not use preservatives or colorants, they still create color, deliciousness and toughness. In 2020, Le Thuy black jelly achieved the 3-star OCOP standard at the provincial level, and was awarded the "Golden Agricultural Brand in 2022" by the Vietnam General Association of Agriculture and Rural Development. With its outstanding quality, the product has had many opportunities to participate in trade promotion activities, promote the brand and introduce products to many customers across the country. In 2022, the facility sold more than 10 tons of finished black jelly to the market, with a revenue of over 100 million VND. Le Thuy black jelly products are currently available in many provinces and cities across the country.

To support people to develop black jelly cultivation, every year the agricultural sector of Cao Bang province regularly coordinates with localities to organize technical training, guide people, especially poor households, to develop black jelly cultivation, increase income. Thereby, creating motivation for rapid and sustainable poverty reduction in communes.

With the advantage of climate and soil suitable for the growth of black jelly trees, along with the efforts of local authorities at all levels in Cao Bang province, black jelly trees are increasingly developing strongly in terms of quality, output and value, contributing to the economic development of the people and the locality to develop the economy and reduce poverty sustainably.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/cao-bang-trong-thach-den-giam-ngheo-20250723145841294.htm