Ca Mau (VNS/VNA)- The southernmost province of Ca Mau is expanding the farming area of acaciatrees which offer high income for farmers.  

The province, which hasabout 8,5000ha of acacia forests, mostly in U Minh and Tran Van Thoi districts,harvests about 1,000-1,200ha of acacia per year, according to the provincialDepartment of Agriculture and Rural Development.  

Farmers can earn aprofit of more than 100 million VND (4,300 USD) from harvesting one hectare ofthe wood, which is harvested after growing for four to five years.

Tran Van Thuc, deputydirector of the department, said the profit from acacia is twice higher thancajuput while the growing period is two years shorter. “Acacia has improved thelives of local residents living in forested areas,” he said.

The province has54,000ha of freshwater forestry, mostly cajuput and acacia trees. The soil inthis area has high nutrients and is inundated in the rainy season, so mostfarmers who grow acacia trees create mounds to grow the trees on them. Acaciatrees have been grown in the province since 2009.

The province, whichneeds about 2 – 2.5 million acacia seedlings each year, can produce only aportion of the amount needed and has to buy the rest from other provinces.

Last year the province’sAgriculture Seed Centre succeeded in producing acacia seedlings from tissuecultures.

These seedlings growquickly and have high yield, and are resistant to diseases and strong winds.The seedlings are disease-free, and have a straight trunk, only a few branchesand strong roots.

The U Minh Ha ForestryOne Member Limited Company and the Thuy Son Investment Joint Stock Company haveused the seedlings to grow acacia forests in the province. 

In other provinces, thesurvival rate of these seedlings is more than 90 percent while the survivalrate of acacia seedlings reproduced from the tree’s branch cuttings are about70 percent, according to the province’s Forest Protection Sub-department.

When harvesting, theaverage yield of acacia trees grown form tissue cultures is 200-250cu.m perhectare, compared to 130 -150cu.m per hectare for seedlings from branchcuttings.

The average income fromplanting acacia tissue culture seedlings is 160 -200 million VND (6,890 - 8,610USD) per hectare, up 100 million VND (4,300 USD) compared to that of plantingacacia reproduced from branch cuttings.

Pham Van Mich, directorof the province’s Agriculture Seed Centre, said the seedlings have adapted wellto climate change and the local soil.

“The seedlings alsoimprove the quality of acacia wood and products, which enhances the brandnamesin domestic and foreign markets,” he said.

Nguyen Nhu Do, deputyhead of the province’s Forest Protection Sub-department, said that farmers andcompanies should become more aware of the need to choose acacia seedlings fromtissue cultures.

Acacia wood can be usedto produce paper pulp, construction wood, plywood, coal and fine art products.

To expand acacia cultivation, the province’s agencies have transferredtechniques to farmers to improve yield and shortened the growing period foracacia forests.

The province’sagricultural seed centres and producers plan to produce more high qualityacacia seedlings to supply to farmers and companies. Mich said the centre wouldproduce about 200,000 tissue culture seedlings next year and also reduce theprice of tissue culture seedlings.

Tran Văn Hieu, deputydirector of the U Minh Ha Forestry One Member Limited Company, said to improvethe residents’ lives, the province should invest in infrastructure, especiallyroads to transport wood out of forests, as the cost of transport accounts forabout 30 percent of production costs.

“The high transport costreduces the profit of companies and farmers,” he said.

Le Van Su, Deputy Chairmanof the provincial People’s Committee, said favourable conditions would becreated to encourage companies to rent forestry land to grow acacia underintensive farming model.

The province willprovide soft loans to local residents to grow acacia under intensive farming inthe U Minh Ha area, he said.

The province will alsoencourage wood processors and exporters to invest in wood processing plants andco-operate with growers to develop stable growing areas for their plants.

The province will alsohold more promotion activities to find markets for acacia wood. The wood issold in Mekong Delta provinces and HCM City.

Under the province’s agriculturalrestructuring plan, the province plans to have 18,000 - 20,000ha of intensivelyfarmed forests by 2020. Of the figure, 12,000ha are acacia and the rest arecajuput.

The province alsotargets increasing the value of its wood by 20 -30 percent next year comparedto now.

Acacia is one of fiveproducts that the province has given priority to in its agriculturalrestructuring plan.

The province has thelargest forest area, mostly mangrove trees, in the Mekong Delta.-VNS/VNA