Shallots from Nghe An province are dropping in price as people rush to plant them.

(Baonghean.vn) - Farmers in Nghi Loc (Nghe An) are harvesting shallots from the winter-spring crop. However, this year the price of this crop has dropped by half compared to last year because people rushed to plant it.

Farmers in Nghi Lam (Nghi Loc) harvest shallots. Photo: Thu Hien

The area planted with shallots in Nghi Loc communes this season reached approximately 180 hectares, an increase of 40 hectares compared to the same period last year. Among them, Nghi Lam, Nghi Thuan, Nghi Van, and Nghi Kieu are the localities with the largest shallot growing areas in the district. Nghi Loc is also the largest shallot growing area in the province.

Nghi Lam is a key area for shallot cultivation in Nghi Loc district, with 60 hectares (an increase of 5 hectares compared to 2015). According to local farmers, shallot prices have halved compared to the same period last year, and yields have also decreased. Due to the expansion of shallot cultivation in many localities, the purchase price in those areas has fallen. After harvesting, the estimated yield is nearly 500 kg of bulbs per sao (a decrease of 300 kg per sao compared to 2015).

With selling prices ranging from 17,000 to 20,000 VND/kg, one sao (approximately 1000 square meters) of shallots yields an income of approximately 10 million VND, meaning each hectare of shallots generates an income of approximately 200 million VND (a decrease of nearly 50% compared to 2015).

Mr. Tran Van Binh, Vice Chairman of the Nghi Lam Commune People's Committee, added: "In the 2016-2017 winter-spring crop season, Nghi Lam cultivated over 60 hectares of shallots (an increase of 5 hectares compared to 2015). The cultivated area is located in high-lying, inaccessible land where water sources are not readily available. This crop is considered easy to grow, resistant to pests and diseases, and drought-tolerant. The planting season begins in August each year, with farmers starting to sow and harvest in March of the following year."

Onion prices in Nghi Loc have halved compared to last year, now at 17,000 VND/kg. Photo: Hong Vinh.

In Nghi Thuan, which is a low-lying and flood-prone area, the yield of shallots is not as high as in semi-mountainous communes like Nghi Kieu and Nghi Lam.

Tran Thi Luong, a resident of Hamlet 6, Nghi Thuan Commune, who has extensive experience in growing shallots, said: "Last year, at its peak, shallots sold on the market for 50 to 60 thousand dong/kg, and at their lowest price, it was 30 thousand dong/kg. However, this year, the price only fluctuates between 17 and 18 thousand dong/kg."

Currently, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Nghi Loc district is also directing farmers to harvest shallots while simultaneously caring for and fertilizing intercropped corn plants to increase crop yield per unit area.

Hong Vinh - Thu Hien

(Nghi Loc Radio and Television Station)