Green pumpkins from Anh Son fetch good prices as Tet approaches.

In the vast green fields stretching across hundreds of hectares in Cam Son commune, Anh Son district, the atmosphere is bustling in mid-December as people gather to harvest green pumpkins.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai's family in Hamlet 4, Cam Son Commune, is one of the households with the largest area of ​​green squash cultivation in the area. Ms. Hai said: "In recent years, green squash has proven its economic value compared to other vegetables, so this year my family decided to expand the area planted with green squash to 9 sao (approximately 0.9 hectares), more than 3 sao compared to last year. Thanks to many years of experience in growing squash, from the beginning of the season, my family focused on caring for the plants, applying nitrogen fertilizer, pruning the vines, and setting up trellises at the right time to ensure good growth and even fruiting."

Not far away, Mr. Cao Xuan Khanh's family was also busy harvesting green pumpkins. Because the traders had promised to come and buy them on time, Mr. Khanh mobilized his entire family to cut the pumpkins. In just two hours, the family harvested over 500 kilograms of pumpkins, piling them up by the roadside waiting for buyers.

Mr. Khanh said: "This is the fourth year our family has grown green squash, and the area planted with squash is larger than other vegetables. Squash has many advantages, such as a short planting-to-harvest time of about 3 months, yielding 5-6 harvests, providing the family with a continuous income and relatively stable market demand. This year, the weather has been relatively favorable, resulting in fewer pests and diseases, good yields, and moreover, this variety has a dense flesh and can be stored for a long time."

According to our research, green squash is a major winter crop in Cam Son commune, Anh Son district, covering an area of ​​50 hectares. The average yield is 2-3 tons per sao (approximately 1000 square meters). Each squash measures 50-70 cm in length and weighs between 2-4 kg. At the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, traders buy it at 11,500 VND/kg, and by mid-twelfth month, the price has dropped to 8,500 VND/kg. At this price, farmers still make a profit after deducting expenses.

Ms. Hoang Thi Nga, a trader who buys pumpkins in Anh Son district, said: "The period leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year) is when vegetables and tubers are in high demand, including green pumpkins. On average, I import 20-30 tons of pumpkins daily from people in Anh Son district at a price of 8,500 VND/kg. This price has decreased by about 3,000 VND/kg compared to the beginning of the season, as we are now in the mass harvesting phase. However, this is still a stable price compared to previous years."

According to the Cam Son commune authorities in Anh Son district: Green squash is the highest-yielding winter crop in the area, earning 10 times more than corn and 3-4 times more than other crops such as gourds, loofahs, and various vegetables. Based on this success, the Cam Son commune People's Committee has planned to allocate land in the riverside area along the Lam River for specialized cultivation of various commercial vegetables, primarily green squash.

In particular, this year, the locality was selected by the Nghe An Provincial Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection and the District Agricultural Service Center to build a model site for "Food-safe vegetable production". As a result, green squash and other vegetables in general have good yields, with green squash yielding an average of over 40 tons/ha. The total production of the commune is estimated at over 2,000 tons of winter squash, worth tens of billions of VND.

This year, Anh Son district has cultivated nearly 400 hectares of various vegetables during the winter season, including over 100 hectares of green squash, which is grown extensively in the communes of Cam Son, Duc Son, Tao Son, etc. This is the most economically valuable winter crop to date.