Pumpkin prices hit peak, Nghe An farmers 'hit it big'

This winter-spring crop, Mr. Nguyen Huu Tinh (Dai Dong hamlet, Thuong Tan Loc commune, Nam Dan) planted 10 sao of green squash. Currently, the squash tea has been harvested for the second crop. Accordingly, each sao yields 2-2.5 tons, with the current selling price of 16 million VND/ton, he is expected to earn nearly 350 million VND this squash crop after 3 months of planting and caring.

Mr. Tinh said: “I planted these 10 sao of squash in December, and by early March I was ready to harvest the second crop. This year, the weather was favorable, so squash had few pests and diseases, and high yields. Especially at this time, squash prices increased sharply, up to 16,000-18,000 VND/kg, each sao brought in an income of about 30-35 million VND, a high economic value that no other crop can compare to.”

At this time, Mr. Le Luu Thang (Nam Thanh commune, Nam Dan) has 4 sao of pumpkin that have been harvested to the 4th crop. As the harvest is completed, traders bring trucks to the fields to buy everything. If the first crop cost about 8,000-10,000 VND/kg, this last crop, grade 1 pumpkin costs 18,000 VND. With this price, Mr. Thang said, each sao of farmers earns a profit of 20-25 million VND.

In the vast green pumpkin fields, full of fruit, farmers in Nghia Mai commune (Nghia Dan) are busy harvesting winter-spring squash. Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan (Mai Son hamlet, Nghia Mai commune) said: “My family grows 1.5 hectares of green pumpkin. Green pumpkin can be grown all year round, but depending on the time, the price of pumpkin is high or low. Usually, the price of winter-spring squash is always higher than other times of the year. Currently, the price of pumpkin is 2-3 times higher than that of the spring-summer crop.”

According to Ms. Cao Thi Hong - President of the Farmers' Association of Nghia Mai commune, the whole commune planted 10 hectares of winter-spring squash, some households planted 2-3 hectares. According to people's calculations, for each hectare of squash, people invest about 130-150 million VND, but can earn about 400-600 million VND. In addition to supplying to areas inside and outside the district, squash here is also purchased by traders in other provinces such as Thanh Hoa, Ninh Binh...

Specializing in purchasing green squash in Nghe An province, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy (Dung Town, Thanh Chuong) said that this year, the price of squash from the beginning of the season until now has been quite high, ranging from 10,000-18,000 VND/kg. The price of squash is at its highest, 16,000-18,000 VND/kg (depending on the type), 3-4 times higher than last year's Spring crop.

The reason why pumpkin prices are high is because this pumpkin season, in the northern provinces, the weather is cold and harsh, many areas have not had time to recover from the severe consequences of storms to plant seeds, many areas have encountered many disadvantages in growing pumpkins so productivity has decreased sharply.

In Nghe An, at this time last year, pumpkin prices fell dramatically, sometimes down to 3,500 VND/kg, at the highest it was only 7,000 VND/kg, and it was difficult to sell, so this season, people reduced their acreage. Limited supply, increased market demand, so pumpkin prices increased.

Squash is considered the main winter crop in Nghe An, with good productivity and economic efficiency many times higher than other crops on the same area. Faced with the fact that squash prices fluctuate, with some years hitting the floor and other years hitting rock bottom, farmers have gradually adjusted their crop calendar, planting in different seasons to avoid pressure on output.

At the same time, grasp the supply and demand situation in the whole country to decide on planting at the right time, regulate the planting area reasonably. Besides, connect with traders across the country to find output, avoid being completely dependent on traders in the province. "Compared to other crops, squash still gives the highest economic efficiency. If the price is 18,000-20,000 VND/kg, farmers will make a big profit, about 20-25 million VND/sao, and if the price is 5,000-7,000 VND/kg, the profit is about 10 million VND/sao", Mr. Tinh added.