Enhance the value of lotus

Many cooperatives in the Eastern Dak Lak region have turned lotus from a minor agricultural product into a plant with high economic value, contributing to increasing income for many farming households.

Hoa Xuan Tay 1 General Agricultural Service Cooperative (in Dong Hoa ward) has just transferred the green mirror lotus variety under a contract to supply the entire variety to Ninh Hung Production and Trade Service Cooperative in Khanh Hoa province.

Mr. Huynh Van Bao, Director of Hoa Xuan Tay 1 General Agricultural Service Cooperative, said that the pink lotus with blue mirror is a new variety bred by the cooperative from the traditional lotus variety, not only outstanding for its beautiful flower color but also for its large lotus mirror and many seeds. In particular, the new variety shortens the harvest time, reduces pests and diseases and gives a 15-20% higher yield than the old variety. The order was made in about two months following the process of trial planting, technology transfer and actual acceptance. Currently, the lotus plants are growing well, with lush green foliage, blooming brightly and producing many lotus mirrors and healthy seeds.

Since the beginning of 2025, the Cooperative has received two orders to supply this lotus variety to two units in Khanh Hoa province, namely Ninh Ich Agricultural and Service Cooperative and Ninh Hung Production and Trade Service Cooperative. The Cooperative's technical team is busy transferring cultivation techniques, supervising the care process and soil - water - fertilizer treatment so that the local lotus variety can grow well on the new land.

Members of Hoa Dong Agricultural Service Cooperative (Hoa Thinh commune) harvest lotus. Photo: Ngoc Han

Every lotus season, in the neighborhoods of Thach Cham and Nam Binh 1 (Dong Hoa Ward), groups of women are always bustling with lotus seed shelling. Since the lotus plants have grown here, the lotus seed shelling business has brought in a significant extra income for many women during their free time.

According to Ms. Pham Thi Bich Thuy, Director of Dong Hoa Lotus Agricultural Service Cooperative, lotus grows best in the alluvial land along the Ban Thach River. Before establishing the cooperative, Ms. Thuy was just a small lotus buyer and gathered women to peel the shells and sell fresh lotus to wholesale markets.

Seeing the effectiveness, she expanded the scale of the cooperative and started processing lotus seed powder, lotus heart tea, lotus root pickles, lotus root powder, etc. The cooperative creates jobs for 20-50 local workers. The work is quite flexible, they can come to work at the cooperative or take it home to do housework while peeling and separating lotus hearts.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Dung (in Nam Binh 1 neighborhood) happily said: “I open a small grocery store at home. When there are no customers, I also take the opportunity to pick lotus seeds. The job is leisurely and brings income, if you work hard, you can earn from 2 - 4 million VND/month.”

Hoa Dong Agricultural Service Business Cooperative (Hoa Thinh commune) is the first collective economic unit in Eastern Dak Lak to successfully build a value chain for lotus plants.

With the active support of the local government, the cooperative has not only expanded the lotus growing area, invested in diversified product processing, but also built a brand for Hoa Dong lotus seed powder. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Minh, Director of the cooperative shared: "After harvesting, fresh lotus seeds are dried, shelled and ground into powder. All these stages are produced on a modern production line."

Lotus products of Hoa Dong Agricultural Service Cooperative (Hoa Thinh commune) are displayed at a trade promotion event.

In addition to lotus seed powder, Hoa Dong Cooperative continues to develop many more products such as lotus heart, dried black lotus seed, and brown lotus seed. Each crop, the Cooperative consumes 600 - 800 kg of lotus of all kinds. To consume the products, the Cooperative has signed a contract to supply raw materials from lotus to Dai Viet Lotus Food Joint Stock Company (Dong Thap province) and bring products to participate in trade fairs and e-commerce platforms.

In 2021, Hoa Dong lotus seed powder products achieved 3-star OCOP certification and have just achieved 4-star OCOP certification. This is a favorable condition for the cooperative to expand consumption to domestic and foreign markets.

“The cooperative currently has a website and a Facebook fan page to introduce the cooperative’s lotus products along with rustic, elegant dishes made from lotus. We hope to contribute a small part to affirming the great value of lotus in people’s lives,” said Mr. Minh.

According to Mr. Nguyen Duc Thang, Head of the Dak Lak Rural Development Department, in the Eastern Dak Lak area, especially the low-lying areas of Dong Hoa ward, Hoa Thinh, Hoa Phu 1, Hoa Phu 2 communes... there are very favorable conditions for lotus to grow.

Therefore, many years ago, the policy of agricultural restructuring in this area was implemented in the direction of converting ineffective rice land and exploiting wild ponds, gourds, and swamps to grow lotus. As a result, lotus brings in 3-4 times more income than rice cultivation and has become one of the important crops bringing high income to the people.

Lotus is even more economically effective when associated with the One Commune One Product (OCOP) Program. In this process, cooperatives have effectively promoted their role, contributing to increasing the lotus growing area, promoting processing and building brands for lotus products, thereby improving the economic efficiency and value of this agricultural product.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/tin-noi-bat/202507/nang-cao-gia-tri-cho-cay-sen-e4318f6/