Since mid-February, nearly 1,000 tonnes of fresh cinnamon bark was purchased by enterprises and local traders.
The peak harvest season of the spice started two months ago, when farmers were busy peeling cinnamon bark from the trees in the immense cinnamon forests of Tra Bong district.
    |
 |
|
Locals are happy with bumper crop of cinnamon. Photo: nhandan |
Ho Thi Huong, owner of a farm with 1,000 cinnamon trees in Tra Hiep commune, said she had to hire 20 local people to harvest cinnamon during the season.
“Many trees on my farm are over 20 years old, so the thick bark can produce essential oils with the best quality,” she said, “of course, the price will be higher."
The price of fresh cinnamon bark is about 50,000-55,000 VND per kg, and can be higher compared to previous years, according to Huong.
Each year, cinnamon growers here have two crops – from late February to April, and from July to August.
In Quang Ngai province, Tra Bong district is considered the capital of cinnamon trees, supplying raw materials for export processing enterprises.
Currently, there are three big enterprises purchasing fresh cinnamon bark here, mainly for export. Additionally, many traders came to local gardens to purchase cinnamon bark, branches and leaves.
Since the early cinnamon season, the Hieu Dung Trading Enterprise, in Tra Son commune has purchased 300 tonnes of fresh cinnamon bark.
It is expected to buy an additional 300 tonnes, bringing the total purchase up 30 per cent against last year. These are mainly used for processing essential oils, household goods and for export.
Tran Thi Minh Hieu, Director of the Hieu Dung Trading Enterprise, said that this year's export volume increased sharply against the previous season.
Fresh cinnamon bark will be processed before being exported to Europe and the Middle East.
Quang Ngai province now is home to nearly 6,000 hectares of cinnamon grown mainly in mountainous districts with the average yield of 9.5 tonnes per hectare.
Tran Van Suong, deputy chairman of the Tra Bong District People’s Committee, said cinnamon was the main crop that helped local people escape poverty.
In recent years, demand for cinnamon has become greater than ever when it was sold to buyers in the US and Europe, besides traditional markets in Asian countries.
Source: VNA