Previously, Mr. Thuan's family was in a particularly difficult situation in Long Son commune, lacking farming knowledge and having no investment capital, so poverty persisted. Life gradually changed when he and his wife worked hard, accumulated knowledge to focus on economic development from the hills and forests.

Now, his family's assets are more than 3 hectares of purple Morinda officinalis; in addition, there are more than 3 hectares of ginseng and many other fruit trees. He is the first person in Tau village to concentrate on growing purple Morinda officinalis, a medicinal plant considered a "miracle drug for gentlemen", with many health benefits.

The lush green garden under the autumn sun, with smart automatic water sprinklers every few meters, and sturdy trellises for climbing plants, shows the meticulous, methodical investment and dedication of the grower. It is known that on this area, his family used to grow many different types of crops. “Growing acacia, eucalyptus, and other crops is profitable, but precious medicinal plants like purple Morinda officinalis bring many times more economic value. Thinking is doing, in 2022, I discussed with my family and decided to convert all acacia and eucalyptus, focusing on new crops,” he shared.

The worries in the first steps of growing new crops were gradually resolved when he received enthusiastic help from the officials of the Farmers' Association at all levels in the province in terms of seeds, techniques, and fertilizers. In addition, he was also given preferential loans by the Transaction Office of the Social Policy Bank to rent machinery to transform his mixed garden into a concentrated production area.

Starting with 2.5 hectares of experimental planting, Mr. Thuan saw that the new plant species quickly took root, grew well, and developed well, so he continued to improve and convert the remaining barren hill area of ​​nearly 1.2 hectares to grow purple Morinda officinalis for convenient care. This plant species is not difficult to care for, but to achieve a high survival rate and good growth, growers must do well in all stages from selecting varieties to preparing the soil.

As for seedlings, he carefully selected them based on the criteria of no pests or diseases, no broken tops, fully developed roots and intact pots. Because it is a medicinal plant for its roots, absolutely no chemicals are used. On hot sunny days, you can use moist straw to cover the roots and water regularly to "protect" the plants from the heat.

The farming area has high mountainous terrain, and the well water is not enough to irrigate thousands of purple Morinda officinalis plants. When he could not drill a well in the middle of the forest, for many days, his relatives saw him completely blackened from his trips alone into the forest to find water.

In the end, the heavens did not fail the persistent and tenacious farmer. He was overjoyed when he found an underground water source on the top of the mountain and decided to invest in more than 2,000 meters of cool water pipes to irrigate the precious plants.

The initiative to bring forest water to the Morinda officinalis garden has overcome the water scarcity that has existed for many years in Tau village. The Provincial and District Farmers’ Associations have sent many officials and members to learn from the experience. Morinda officinalis is a precious medicinal herb that is good for health, so the consumption market is favorable.

According to calculations, 1 hectare of purple ba kích plants can produce more than 20,000 plants, each plant produces about 3-4 tubers, weighing 1.5-2 kg. With the selling price of fresh wild ba kích tubers purchased by traders in the garden ranging from 150,000-200,000 VND/kg, it is expected that in a few years, it will bring in billions of VND to the owner.

Mr. Thuan said: “Recently, many local farmers have come here to learn about the experience of growing purple Morinda officinalis. I am willing to share technical information on soil preparation, planting, and tree care for the highest efficiency.”

Mr. Nguyen Van Lap, Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Long Son commune, said that the commune has more than 6,500 hectares of natural land, of which forestry accounts for 88%, so the locality has many advantages in developing forestry and medicinal plants.

Along with purple Morinda officinalis and some other medicinal plants, the Commune People's Committee is building a chain of links to turn Long Son into a large-scale concentrated growing area.

At present, the whole commune has nearly 12 hectares of medicinal plants, of which Mr. Thuan's household alone accounts for about 30% of the area. Accompanying farmers, the Commune People's Committee is proactively cooperating with businesses in purchasing and consuming products for the people. The locality is also promoting the plan to establish a deep processing cooperative to contribute to exploiting the multi-level value of medicinal plants, increasing revenue and economic efficiency.

This is considered one of the solutions to improve income criteria, create jobs and sustainably reduce poverty so that Long Son can reach the finish line of an advanced new rural commune in the coming time.