'Borrowing' alluvial land along hydroelectric reservoir to grow corn

(Baonghean.vn) - During the dry season, alluvial plains rich in silt are appearing along the banks of Ban Ve hydroelectric reservoir. Taking advantage of this, people are planting corn to improve their income. People jokingly say that they are "picking up" alluvial land for production.

Hoa Ly village is the first place in My Ly commune to grow corn along the hydroelectric reservoir. From the second lunar month, when the water begins to recede, people gather to weed and sow corn. Photo: Huu Vi

Ms. Kha Thi Thoa's family is one of the households in Hoa Ly village, My Ly commune (Ky Son district) "picking up" alluvial land to grow corn along the Ban Ve hydroelectric lake.

She said: “This corn crop, my family planted 5 packages of seeds (5kg), and harvested 5 tons of corn. Even when the corn was still young, people came to buy it. The buyers were mainly people from neighboring villages who do not grow corn. They bought it for livestock. The price of corn, just picked, was about 2,000 VND/kg.” Thus, with a corn crop planted on the riverbank, Ms. Thoa’s family had an additional source of income of about 10 million VND.

The alluvial deposits exposed when the water from the hydroelectric reservoir recedes are very suitable for growing corn. Photo: Lu Phu

Ms. Thoa’s family is not the one growing the most corn in Hoa Ly village. According to research, there are households growing over 1 hectare of corn along the riverbank and earning about 10 tons of corn. This is a significant source of income from farming for an area that is only used to raising livestock like My Ly commune.

Mr. Vi Van Trong - Head of Hoa Ly village, My Ly commune informed: The village has 158 households, most of whom grow corn along the riverbank. It is estimated that the whole village has about 25 hectares. Hoa Ly is also the first village in the commune to grow corn along the riverbank.

Hoa Ly villagers live along the Ban Ve hydroelectric lake. Every year, from February to August, the lake recedes, revealing alluvial sandbanks. For over a year now, villagers have been going to the sandbanks to clear weeds and plant corn.

Corn is often purchased by traders when it is still young. Photo: Huu Vi

Mr. Vi Kham Dao - Vice Chairman of My Ly Commune People's Committee said: "For a long time, farmers have depended on rainwater, with low productivity. The vacant land along the lake often stores a certain amount of water, and is also an alluvial land, so corn growers do not need to use fertilizer. After sowing, just weeding once and the corn will grow well, overwhelming the weeds.

The Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of My Ly commune also added: Taking advantage of the alluvial land along the hydroelectric reservoir to grow corn is quite effective to improve income. Recently, the roads in many areas have become more convenient, so when there is corn, traders come to the fields to buy it. "In the near future, we will promote the people in the area to grow more corn along the riverbank to improve income" - Mr. Dao said.

Growing corn along the hydroelectric reservoir can bring in tens of millions of dong per unit area. This is rare in an area where people are only used to raising livestock. Photo: Lu Phu

In some areas along the hydroelectric reservoir such as Huu Khuong and Mai Son communes (Tuong Duong), the area of ​​alluvial land during the water-retreat season is quite large. People in some villages in Huu Khuong have also taken advantage of these alluvial land to plant corn, cultivate vegetables, and tobacco. However, according to people's feedback, taking advantage of these alluvial land for cultivation is facing some difficulties: "Many households still have the habit of letting their cattle and buffaloes roam free. Growing corn is like a delicious meal for them" - said a resident in Huu Khuong commune.

Huu Vi - Lu Phu