Hong Yen Village ‘booms’ thanks to banana trade
(Baonghean.vn) - At 3 a.m, people of Hong Yen village, in Quynh Hong commune (Quynh Luu district) got up, turned on the lights to start their daily job. Trucks went out of the village road, roamed up the villages in Western Nghe An to purchase bananas. Old motorbikes laden with baskets of bananas spread out into rural markets... Banana trade has helped Hong Yen people to lead a prosperous life, build houses, buy cars, raise children and afford their study...
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Mr. Nguyen Van Tuyen - the “boss” of banana trade in Hong Yen Village said: “I don’t know when banana trade became an occupation in the village. As a child, I followed my father to roam to Nghia Dan, Quy Hop, purchased bananas and brought them back so that my mother, my sister could sell them in the market. I have done this job for almost 40 years”. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
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From 3 to 4 a.m, young men in the village prepared their tools and traveled to Western districts of Nghe An to purchase bananas. In the past, they traveled by oxcart or train, but now they rode motorbikes or drove trucks. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
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When "targeting" a satisfactory banana garden, the buyer would "agree on the price", cut down and transport bananas by trucks or motorbikes back to the village and sell them to traders or wholesalers at the markets. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
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Banana traders must have a "professional eye", to assess that bananas are old enough, ripe enough, their weight and how to make a bargain to earn profits. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
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Mr. Nguyen Van Quyet (in Hong Yen village), who has been better off thanks to banana trade, said: “Doing this job, we need to be healthy, because not only it is hard to travel the long distance but it also requires “cutting down and carrying on shoulder” techniques. In this photo, Quyet is carrying on his shoulder an up to 35-kilogram banana bunch. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
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Bananas are transported to the village after being purchased. Mothers and wives splited them in to smaller bunches, sold them in wholesale to traders or in retail at markets. It is estimated that each day, Hong Yen village supplies about 20 tons of bananas of all kinds to the market. In particular, on the first day of the month and the full moon, the amount of bananas sold is about 40-50 tons. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
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This profession is hard and fatigued, but if people are diligent and hardworking, each month they can earn an income of 20-40 million VND/household (for 2-3 workers). Photo: Thanh Phuc |
