Melons "exposed" white in the fields after storm number 3

After storm No. 3, Dien Chau melons were completely damaged. Photo: Mai Giang

Dien Ky (Dien Chau) is a commune with a tradition of growing melons. In the summer-autumn crop, the whole commune has up to 20 hectares. When storm No. 3 hit, it was also the time for mass melon harvest. When the water receded, the melon plants died and the melons were also damaged, lying scattered on the fields.

Dien Chau farmers lost billions of dong due to waterlogged melons in Dien Ky (Dien Chau). Photo: Mai Giang

Ms. Tran Thi Luu in Hamlet 2, Dien Ky Commune, was disappointed when looking at the melon field, which should have given her family tens of millions of dong. She shared: Her family has 4 sao of fertile land to grow melons, which earned tens of millions of dong last year, but this crop was a total loss; the investment cost was high, up to 2 million dong/sao, not including labor.

Mr. Nguyen Tuan said, his family grows the most melons in the commune, up to 18 sao, just harvested one crop and sold for 4 million VND, now lost everything. Calculating the total investment cost, it has lost up to 36 million VND. Now we have to collect the fruit, dig holes to bury them, dry the vines and burn them to prevent disease for the next melon crop.

Ms. Tran Thi Luu in Dien Ky commune collects plastic bags covering melons to reuse for the next crop. Photo: Mai Giang

Melon production in 2018 in Dien Chau encountered many difficulties due to the weather, causing billions of dong in losses for farmers. Because the season is over, farmers are collecting rotten fruit to avoid sprouting, which will be difficult to handle and may cause disease in the next crop. After the failed melon crop, farmers will improve the land to grow corn and winter vegetables.