By mid-September, Nghe An province had planted nearly 5,000 hectares of winter crops.
On sunny days, farmers in Nghe An province are heading to the fields to cultivate winter crops. To date, the entire province has planted nearly 5,000 hectares.
During these dry days, farmers in the communes of Do Luong district are bustling in the fields, accelerating the production of winter crops. They say that growing winter crops is quite hard work, and while the agricultural workforce is mainly middle-aged or older, their experience in production allows them to actively plant crops every year to supply the market and generate additional income.
Ms. Ho Thi Thuan, residing in Luu Tho hamlet, Luu Son commune, said that with their 2 sao (approximately 2,000 square meters) of rice paddy land, her family grows cucumbers, gourds, and sweet potatoes every year, earning over 25 million VND. This year, despite their advanced age, she and her husband still maintain the cultivation of cucumbers, gourds for their shoots, and sweet potatoes on their 2 sao.
Observing the fields of Do Luong district, alongside the newly planted winter rice crops, there are also some vegetables and fruits that have already been harvested. Among them, bitter melon, planted by farmers more than a month ago, is now being harvested and sold at a high price. Ms. Phan Thi Hoa, the owner of a bitter melon field in Luu Son commune, said that after harvesting the spring rice crop, her family did not plant summer-autumn rice but instead planted bitter melon on an area of 1 sao (approximately 1000 square meters). They planted the seeds at the beginning of July and harvested them at the beginning of August. After one month, her family harvested 200 kg of fruit, selling it for 10,000 - 12,000 VND/kg.
Mr. Tran Van Tuan, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Luu Son commune, said: "As a locality with a tradition of producing winter crops, every year the people actively cultivate winter crops, including high-value vegetables and fruits such as cucumbers, green beans, gourds for their shoots, bitter melon, and eggplant... This year, the commune plans to plant 60 hectares of winter crops, and by September 13th, the people had already planted 20 hectares on arable land and land used for two rice crops."
According to data from the Do Luong District Agricultural Service Center, the district plans to plant over 1,000 hectares of winter crops this year. Accordingly, corn will be mainly planted on alluvial land along the riverbanks; vegetables and fruits will be planted on land used for one rice crop and land used for two rice crops. As of September 13th, the entire district had sown approximately 200-250 hectares. Mr. Le Anh Son, Director of the Do Luong District Agricultural Service Center, stated that for high-value vegetables and fruits such as bitter melon, cucumber, green beans, gourds, etc., farmers earned over 200 million VND per hectare in previous years.
Yen Thanh district plans to plant 1,500 hectares of corn and various vegetables this winter. Mr. Nguyen Trong Huong, Director of the District Agricultural Services Center, said that due to recent rains, the progress of corn planting on land previously used for two rice crops has slowed down. Farmers are planting various vegetables scattered across the semi-mountainous communes of Lien Thanh, Ly Thanh, Minh Thanh, Quang Thanh, Thinh Thanh, Vien Thanh, etc., with approximately 400 hectares currently under construction.
This winter season, the entire province aims to plant 34,690 hectares of various winter crops. According to Mr. Nguyen Tien Duc, Head of the Provincial Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, as of September 13th, the total area of winter crops planted has reached nearly 5,000 hectares out of the planned 34,690 hectares, achieving 14.37% of the target.
Specifically: Corn has been planted on over 2,934 hectares out of a planned 19,000 hectares (reaching 15.45%), concentrated in the districts of Dien Chau, Nam Dan, Yen Thanh, Anh Son, Nghia Dan, etc.; Peanuts have been planted on over 762 hectares out of a planned 1,000 hectares (reaching 83.33%), in Dien Chau, Nghi Loc, and Nam Dan districts; Vegetables have been planted on over 1,266 hectares out of a planned 13,200 hectares, reaching 9.59%, in Nghi Loc, Nam Dan, Dien Chau, Yen Thanh, and Anh Son districts, etc.; Sweet potatoes have been planted on over 20 hectares out of a planned 1,240 hectares, reaching 1.63%, in Nam Dan district.
With the current sunny weather, farmers in various localities are continuing to head to the fields to accelerate the production of winter crops.
