Muong Lat is one of three districts of Thanh Hoa that has the favorable weather conditions for lac resin production. Hence, the production of lac resin here started very early. In the period from the 1960s to 1970s, lac resin yield at Muong Lat Province was highest in the country. However, for many reasons, mainly the unstable market and fluctuating prices, lac resin production lost the attention from local authorities and communities. On the other hand, the traditional experience in lac-raising no longer yielded high productivity and income; harvest loss became more frequent. With those challenges and difficulties, the production of lac resin in Muong Lat has deteriorated and could no longer attract the participation of the majority of the community.
Nowadays, raising lac has been recovered thanks to the increasing demand for lac resin since 2000.Lac resin is collected to provide to domestic manufacturers or import to China in minor quantity. Tens of tons of lac resin from Muong Lat District is collected to provide manufacturers in Ha Tay, Nam Ha and Hoa Binh.
With the efforts of local authorities and communities and the influence from the project of Revival and development of the raising of lac for the ethnic minorities in Muong Lat District, Thanh Hoa Province (VN/06/005) sponsored by GEF SGP from 2007 to 2009 the first results are very promising. The main achievements of the project included:
Invite 300 households to participate in 10 lac harvests on an area of 50ha with short-day host plants, 40 ha with long-day, concentrated host plants, over 20ha with scattered host plants. Average yield was 4 to 9 times as much as that of the main lac harvest (M) and 4 to 6 times of off-season harvests (S). Every participating household, over the last three years, has harvested 500 to 1500 kg of resin per year. With the current (2010) resin price of 55000 dong per kg at Muong Lat, many households have earned a fair amount of income to alleviate poverty.
Results of the models include lessons and experience on lac raising techniques on bean, the first discoveries of off-season lac (S) and identification of five main effective host plants for lac raising, bean, Khiet palm, Pau palm and Pich Nieng.
1. The model of maintaining lac breeds over the winter on thieu bean plants. Over three years of lac raising with over ten harvests, we only had to buy breeds from outside of the project zone once at the first time; the next nine times there were enough for all lac raising households. Project provided over 6 tons of high-quality lacs for the models.
2. Improved community capacity in lac production through the organization of 20 training classes on the improved lac raising techniques, breed selection, alternate intensive farming, pest prevention for the lac and host plants while integrating with the traditional lac raising techniques. The outcomes included over 800 participants, 40 percents of whom were women and household leaders who participated in models in their villages. Three visits were held to other localities and countries to gain more experience in lac raising, processing and consumption. groups were created in villages so that members of the community can assist each other in improving lac raising techniques and designing model.
3. Information on and lessons about lac-raising were publicized in four meetings at communal, two district and one provincial scale.
4. Compiled ?Lac-raising technique manual at Muong Lat District? based on the results and experience accumulated during the project.
5. The project attracted the attention from the local authorities and related departments, with the initial results of reviving the lac resin production for the ethnic minorities at one of the underprivileged localities of Thanh Hoa Province, as well as the multi-purpose of lac resin. Monitoring the launched models helps reassure the potential for development of lac resin production at Muong Lat and determine fundamental issues that need solving in order to foster effective and sustainable lac resin production within local conditions. The project has received the funding from VUSTA and the People?s Committee of Thanh Hoa Province to conduct two studies related to lac resin, which are ?Applying technologies in producing lac resin at Muong Lat to increase product value and local income? and ?Research on creating an intensive farming model of lac resin in the Northern Central of Vietnam?. (see appendix).
The project VN/06/005 basically achieved its set goals. However, for various reasons, many issues related to policies techniques, markets remain unsolved and require further experimentation to foster effective and sustainable production of lac resin in the local conditions. For example, there are the following issues.
1. Diversify the host plants for lacs and experiment on those that haven?t had much technical experience. Effective and ineffective characteristics of the host plants (high and low productivity) need to be determined to inform lac raisers.
2. Focus on monitoring and evaluating models to accumulate technical experience in lac raising on five host plants (Khiet Palm, Pau Palm) in order to maintain the production of lac. The evaluation of economic, social and environmental impacts (livelihood, income, social change, understanding and awareness of biodiversity, environment and sustainable development) also needs to be focused. Continue to analyze the results of off-season lac raising, compare and contrast with the on-season harvests to come to appropriate conclusions and suggestions. Complete the technical manual to multiply the models.
3. Need to have a plan on developing and maintaining the high-quality source of breed for lac-raising.
4. Continue to focus on building lac-raising and market-approaching capacity to the community. Foster the collaboration in the community through group.
5. Specific plan on lac production. Need to define the lac-raising area.
6. Improve lac resin product value by applying various technologies after harvest.
7. Need investigation of related policies in lac production: management and development of forest, traditional milpa cultivation, food security, ethnic community, in order to have detailed suggestions as to policy-related issues for the effective and sustainable production of local lac resin.
In order to continue the efforts in reviving and developing of lac resin production at Muong Lat District, the Thanh Hoa Associations of organizations propose the second phase of the project ?Revival and sustainable development of lac resin production at Muong Lat District Thanh Hoa? with the sponsorship of GEF SGP and local authorities.
The objectives of the second phase are to solve basic issues in sustainable lac resin production in terms of raising techniques, conserve breeds, markets, technical ability and a concrete plan on lac resin production. Based on the results of the first and second phase, a technical manual would be compiled and published to spread the knowledge and experience in lac production, as well as proposals regarding policies to develop a competitive product for a remote locality with various economic and social challenges and limitations.
Main contents of the second phase of the project include:
1. Continue experimenting and completing lac-raising models on short-day, scattered and concentrated long-date host plants (five different plants available at primary and secondary forests in Muong Lat, with a projected area of 105 ha at four communes Phu Nhi, QUang Chieu, Tam Chung and Muong Lat town).
2. Build two lac breed stations in the community and Khiet Palm hosts to adequately provide breeds for local production and reduce degradation.
3. Create a plan for developing lac production in one commune, with the participation from the community for the period from 2011 to 2015 in order to stably and sustainably raise lacs.
4. Improve the effectiveness of lac production and consumption by improving community capacity in market approach, preserving and processing products.
5. Continue to improve the technical ability for farmers, train a team of instructors that have adequate education, improve awareness of natural resource management and biodiversity for social leaders, utilize government?s policies in developing lac resin into a commercial product, and partly alleviate local poverty.
6. Publish information about the results and compile the technical manual and the proposal report on policy-related issues to multiply the models of the project in lac production at Muong Lat.