What is the solution for late-ripening winter corn?

(Baonghean) -For farmers, winter corn contributes to the abundance of agricultural products for the development of commercial livestock farming. However, late-ripening winter corn, low productivity and output are causing farmers to face many difficulties...

Farmers in Nghia Dong commune (Tan Ky) harvest corn. Photo: Chau Lan

At this time, many areas of winter corn in Lang Rao beach, hamlet 11, Tan Huong, Tan Ky have begun to ripen. Farmers are unhappy because this corn crop has lasted more than 1 month longer than the harvest period. Many corn areas are quite green, large ripe flowers but the kernels are dry and rotten. Many areas of yellow corn are barren, small flowers, and empty kernels. Meeting us, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc (hamlet 11, Tan Huong) complained: "My family has 6 sao of corn, at the beginning of the season, we had to sow and re-sow 3 times to get good results. Even corn seeds cost 1 kg more than previous winter crops. Due to the influence of the weather, the weather was dry when the corn was first sown. When the corn flowered, it was cold and rainy for a long time, so the growth and seed production of the corn was poor. Up to now, the corn has grown for nearly 5 months (usually 4 months is harvestable) but has not been harvested because it has not ripened evenly."

This winter crop, the entire Tan Ky district has restructured 1,300 hectares of winter corn, mainly the C919 hybrid corn variety. Normally, people harvest winter corn around March 20, but this year the district has directed that the harvest will be around the end of March and the beginning of April. It is estimated that the average yield of winter corn in the entire district this year will only reach 2 - 2.2 quintals/sao (previous years the average was 2.7 quintals/sao).

Not only in Tan Ky, but also hundreds of hectares of winter corn in localities with a tradition of growing winter corn such as Anh Son, Do Luong, Nam Dan... are in the same situation. Winter corn grows poorly, and is harvested late, causing low productivity and quality. This causes many difficulties for farmers. Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc, Hamlet 11, Tan Huong (Tan Ky) currently raises 6 buffaloes, cows, 300 chickens, and 20 pigs. According to her, every year, to ensure a source of food for livestock, she needs about 2-3 tons of dry corn in the winter crop. However, this winter crop, her family's corn output is estimated to only reach nearly 1 ton, equal to 80% of last year's winter corn output. This year, she will have to buy corn from the market to use as food to develop livestock farming.

This winter corn crop, the whole Anh Son district achieved about 15 thousand tons of corn, down 2 thousand tons compared to the winter crop last year. Mr. Nguyen Van Hung - Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Tam Son commune (Anh Son) learned: Because the yield and quality of corn were not as high as previous years, traders from Do Luong, Yen Thanh, and even the North came to buy the product, reaching only 80-85% of the value of winter corn in previous years. The price of fresh corn was 3 thousand VND/kg, and the price of dried corn was 6-7 thousand VND/kg. Many farming families who depended on income from corn also lost a significant source of income. Not to mention a quantity of rotten corn that had to be accepted as animal feed.

In addition to income difficulties, there is the seasonal factor. In reality, in some areas, winter corn has not been harvested yet, which will cause some difficulties in producing the new crop. In Tan Ky district, only Nghia Binh commune has started harvesting winter corn. The rest of the winter corn area will have to wait until early April to harvest, leading to a delay in the spring corn crop. This means that difficulties such as drought, especially the Lao wind in April and May, right at the stage when corn is flowering, will reduce corn yield.

Along with the proactive work of timely harvesting, localities have actively converted and arranged suitable spring crops. Lang Son commune (Anh Son) in this spring crop continues to structure the main corn variety as B006, some high-yield areas, along National Highway 7B in hamlets 2 and 3 will allow people to grow sesame instead of corn to increase income value on the land. To help people be proactive in spring crop production, Khai Son commune (Anh Son) has provided people with 1.2 tons of Vietnamese hybrid corn 61. This is a high-yield corn variety that has been successfully tested in the district and is evaluated as suitable for the spring crop. Or in Tam Son commune, the key corn growing area of ​​Anh Son district, people sow the young corn cutting and selling area first and the dry corn harvesting area sows later.

Currently, spring corn in this commune has developed cotyledons and is being cared for by farmers. In Do Luong district, farmers have actively harvested winter corn, especially in Ngoc - Lam - Boi and Nam - Bac - Dang communes. Mr. Tran Doan Hung - Head of the district's Agriculture Department, said: Harvesting winter corn later than every year is posing many difficulties for farmers. In particular, this year's spring-summer crop will inevitably be affected by hot winds during the growing period of the crop. Therefore, the district has arranged the structure of short-term corn varieties such as glutinous corn and sesame on high-yield corn growing land. Some areas of ineffective corn cultivation will be arranged to grow peanuts covered with nylon in the spring-summer crop to avoid the heat. Currently, the whole district has closed the structure of over 800 hectares of spring-summer peanuts.

To keep up with the season, many localities have proactively harvested young corn and sold it to Nghia Dan Dairy Factory at a price of 600,000 - 800,000 VND/ton of corn. The sale of young corn is being supported by many localities because it both solves the seasonal problem and is economically effective. According to the analysis of Mr. Phung Ba Tien - Hamlet 4, Khai Son Commune (Anh Son): His family harvested nearly 1 ton of young corn and sold it to Nghia Dan Dairy Factory at a price of 800,000 VND/sao, the average yield of fresh corn reached 1.7 tons/sao, which resulted in an income of 1.2 million VND/sao of corn. Selling dried corn products at best only reached 1.7-1.8 quintals/sao, selling to the market at a price of 7,000 VND/kg, earning 1.6 million VND/sao, after deducting expenses, the remaining income was nearly 1 million VND/sao. Thus, selling young corn is both economically beneficial, reducing the effort of harvesting, and solving the problem of ensuring the season for the next spring-summer crop. Mr. Nguyen Cong The - Head of the Department of Agriculture of Anh Son district said that if selling young corn has a high value or is equal to dry corn, priority should still be given to people for consumption. This is also a solution to solve the seasonal factor for winter corn areas on low-lying, undulating land, corn areas to overcome storms and floods.

However, in the long term, the purchase of young corn in the winter crop without a plan can easily cause a shortage of feed for livestock. Or the fact that Nghia Dan Dairy Factory only purchases young corn in the winter crop, but in the summer and winter crops, when people want to sell young corn, the factory does not buy it? Sustainable development of winter corn seems to be a difficult problem that needs to be addressed by all levels, sectors, and local authorities.

Luong Mai