Specialty taro crop of Ky Son has failed, risk of shortage of seeds for next year
(Baonghean.vn) - Ky Son taro is famous for its delicious taste and is grown by the Mong people on fields at an altitude of 1,000 m or more above sea level. However, in the 2019 taro crop, people lost their harvest because many areas had a bad harvest and could not be harvested.
Mrs. Ly Y Lau's family is one of the Mong ethnic households with a long tradition of growing taro in Pha Sac village, Huoi Tu commune, Ky Son district.
Ms. Ly Y Lau said: “During the 2019 taro season, due to unfavorable weather, many taro areas of many other households in the village died, leaving no tubers to harvest. As for her family's taro area, because it was covered with a thick layer of straw and the roots were regularly mounded for the plants, the amount of taro area still had tubers, but it was only about 50% compared to the previous year.”
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| Mrs. Ly Y Lau in Pha Sac village, Huoi Tu commune is trying to collect potatoes as seeds for next year's crop. Photo: Lu Phu |
"Taro is grown by the Mong Ky Son people in large fields at high altitudes, concentrated in some communes such as Dooc May, Muong Long, Tay Son, Nam Can, Na Ngoi and Huoi Tu commune with a total area of over 50 hectares, yielding from 7 to 8 tons/ha. However, in the 2019 taro crop, many areas of taro failed, even some areas were completely lost, people are worried that there will be no seeds to plant in the next crop" - Mr. Denh Ba Long - Chairman of the People's Committee of Huoi Tu commune said.
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| Many areas that organizations have invested in and carefully cultivated according to the model also suffer from crop failure. Photo: Lu Phu |
Not only the taro areas grown by people on the slopes of steep mountains suffered crop failures, but also the models with elaborate investment from the district, where growers were trained in planting and care techniques, and provided with adequate seeds and agricultural materials, also suffered crop failures.
In 2019, Ky Son planted over 50 hectares of taro, of which more than 2 hectares were supported for intensive cultivation of taro. Due to the prolonged heat, the taro plants grew and developed poorly. In previous years, the yield was 7 to 8 tons, this year it was only 2 to 3 tons/ha. In some places, taro was not harvested.
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| Graphics: Lam Tung |
