Mu Cang Chai honey, a gift of 'mother nature'

Located at an altitude of 800 - 1,500m, Mu Cang Chai (Yen Bai) is year-round hidden in the clouds, where the natural forest is extremely rich and there are many species of plants, including many precious medicinal species that grow all over the face. soil. Flowers bloom all year round, especially in spring, after long, cold winter dormancy, plants bloom throughout the mountains and forests, this is a natural condition for the people of Mu Cang Chai to develop beekeeping for honey.

A few decades ago, the people of Mu Cang Chai did not know how to pack boxes to raise bees and apply beekeeping technology. They cut hollow trees in the forest, sawed them into small pieces, and hung them around the house with both ends. When the wind blows, the bees in the forest follow the bees to make their nests in those wooden crates.

When making honey, they cut each bee bridge with a bucket towel and store it in bamboo tubes, or bring the whole bee bridge in boxes or pots to bring to the market to sell, the amount of money collected is not much. Therefore, honey is mainly used as a gift and has not yet become a commodity and income for people.

Since the application of beekeeping technology for honey, people have gone to the forest to find the trees where bees often nest, cut them into boxes for beekeeping, and make bee bridges. When exploiting bees, people used a rotating barrel instead of cutting all the bee bridges as before... Since then, beekeeping for honey has become a money-making profession that any citizen can raise, they only take the initial cost.

According to statistics of Mu Cang Chai district, the whole district currently has about 10,000 - 12,000 bee colonies, concentrated in the following communes: Nam Khat, Pung Luong, De Xu Phinh, Lao Chai, Ho Bon, Nam Co, Khao Mang, La Pan Tan, Lao Chai, Mo De, Mu Cang Chai town... Each bee colony collects from 6-7 liters of honey/year. Calculated, the honey production of Mu Cang Chai is over 80,000 liters/year. With an average price of 150,000 - 180,000 VND / liter, the amount of money collected from selling honey of the whole district is estimated at 15 - 17 billion VND, which is a significant source of income for people in the highlands.

Currently, Mu Cang Chai General Agricultural Service and Construction Cooperative based in De Xu Phinh commune has built Mu Cang Chai honey into a 3-star OCOP product. Mr. Nguyen Van Toan, Director of the cooperative said: His family is currently raising 700-1,000 bee colonies depending on the year, and each year collects from 8,000 to 10,000 liters of honey.

In addition, the cooperative also buys from 7 members of the cooperative every year from 3,000 to 5,000 liters of honey. After processing, depending on the needs of customers, the selling price in boxes and cans is from 180,000 - 200,000 VND/liter, if sold in bottles with packaging labels, the price is 400,000 - 450,000 VND/liter. This is sold in supermarkets and luxury restaurants, customers buy mainly as gifts. The cooperative's products are sold everywhere such as in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Ho Chi Minh, Hai Phong…

Because it is natural flower honey, it is raised on the mountain with a fresh and cool climate, so it has high purity and no impurities. In 2020, the National Office of Intellectual Property has decided to grant a geographical indication registration certificate for the product "Mu Cang Chai honey." The People's Committee of Mu Cang Chai district, Yen Bai province is the organization managing geographical indications. The geographical area is the communes: Cao Pha, Che Cu Nha, Che Tao, De Xu Phinh, Ho Bon, Khao Mang, Kim Noi, La Pan Tan, Lao Chai, Mo De, Nam Co, Nam Khat, Pung Luong and Mu Cang Chai Town.

In addition, Mu Cang Chai natural flower honey product is also recognized as a VietGAP product, a 3-star OCOP product of Mu Cang Chai General Agricultural Service and Construction Cooperative.

To see with our own eyes the people of Mu Cang Chai raising bees with natural flowers, we went to Nam Khat commune, where there are 2,049 the largest bee colonies in the district. The most rearing village is La Khat village with 539 herds, two villages of Cang Dong and Xua Long with over 300 herds each. Each nest collects 5-6 liters of honey a year. Nam Khat will collect over 10,000 liters of honey a year.

Commune official Trang A Pao passed me by motorbike up the mountain to visit the beekeeping area of Giang A Chau's family, which is located under the forest canopy of sub-zone 358, Lot 6, located at an altitude of nearly 2,000m, received by his family. contracted with the Mu Cang Chai Protection Forest Management Board. This is a regenerative forest but the trees are quite thick. Here, Mr. Chau's family has more than 40 colonies of bees.

Pao lifted a bridge of bees in the hive, held it up for me to see, and said: "This nest was taken by the owner nearly two months ago, they left a lot of honey in reserve for the bees to live through the winter. On Mu Cang Chai, the people of Mu Cang Chai. No family keeps bees with sugar, they keep bees with wildflowers".

I am surprised why Mu Cang Chai honey has many colors, Mr. Pham Tien Lam, Head of Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Mu Cang Chai district explained: Just look at honey to know which flower is. Rice and canola flowers are honey yellow, medlar flowers are dark brown, milky white is peacock flowers, cardamom flowers are dark red, forest camellias are golden like silk, looking very eye-catching...

Mu Cang Chai honey is not only nutritious food but also a medicine for many diseases: Cough, diabetes, high cholesterol, asthma and fever, diarrhea, and mouth ulcers during cancer treatment. and stomach ulcers caused by infection with Helicobacter pylori bacteria… Honey promotes health for those who have just woken up, women after giving birth. Anyone going to Mu Cang Chai buys a few liters of honey as a gift to give to their loved ones, which is nature's gift to the people of Mu Cang Chai.

Source: Thai Sinh -  nongsanviet.vn