(VOVWORLD) - Tran Nhu Kien of the northern mountainous province of Son La, was honored last year as one of 63 outstanding Vietnamese farmers. He earns thousands of dollars every year from a mixed high-quality crop-livestock economic model.
Tran Nhu Kien was born in the northern province of Ha Nam, 50km south of Hanoi. When he was 16, Kien moved to Yen Chau district in Son La province to start a business and escape poverty.
First, he joined his friends doing carpentry and building houses for local people. With a small amount of savings, Kien started his own business.
“At first, I grew corn, sweet potatoes, and cassava. Then I switched to raising pigs, which generated more income for my family and helps the environment, as pig waste can be used to fertilize plants,” said Kien.
 Kien has 1,200 pigs and produces 40 tons of pork per year. (Photo: VOV) |
In 2008 Kien invested 12,000 USD borrowed from a bank in pig breeds and breeding facilities. The first year, he earned more than 28,000 USD. He purchased more pigs and earned 61,000 USD. Now, Kien has 1,200 pigs, and produces 40 tons of pork per year. His pig raising business gives 7 people a stable income.
In 2019, confronting African swine fever, Kien quickly adjusted his pig husbandry practices and managed to avoid a loss.
“When African swine fever was first detected in Vietnam in 2019, I quickly assessed the situation and sold all of my pigs to recoup my capital and play it safe. After Vietnam officially announced the outbreak of the epidemic, I focused on biological safety,” said Kien.
 In the past 9 months, Kien earns 28,000 USD from his gardens (Photo: VOV) |
In addition to raising pigs, Kien also has 8 hectares of orchards meeting VieGAP standards. In the past 9 months, Kien earned 28,000 USD from his gardens. As a successful farmer, Kien is willing to share his husbandry and farming techniques with other local farmers. He set up the 10-member Phuong Nam cooperative, which has 100 hectares of orchards and 2,500 pigs and earns more than 600,000 USD per year. Lu Van Duong, a member of the Phuong Nam cooperative, said: “My husbandry wasn’t effective because it was unorganized. Since joining the cooperative, I’ve earned more income from greater productivity thanks to the coop’s well-organized “closed husbandry” models.”
Tran Nhu Kien has received certificates of merit from several sectors and organizations for his successful business and contribution to developing the local economy.