Cucumber harvest season in Yen Thanh
Farmers in Yen Thanh district are currently harvesting cucumbers. The cucumbers are being purchased by traders at an average price of 8,000 VND/kg, bringing in 240 million VND/ha.
Since the Lunar New Year, farmers in Minh Thanh, Thinh Thanh communes, and other areas have been harvesting their winter cucumber crop. According to the farmers, prices were low at the beginning of the season, but they have risen to 10,000-12,000 VND/kg. While not as high as last year's winter crop, the farmers are happy with this price because they are making a profit.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy, from Hamlet 7, Minh Thanh Commune, said that her family planted 3 sao (approximately 0.3 hectares) of cucumbers during the winter season. About a month ago, the first harvest of cucumbers was completed, and traders bought them at 4,000-5,000 VND/kg. However, the price has been increasing since then, and is now 10,000-12,000 VND/kg. Every day, traders bring large trucks from the North to buy the cucumbers, so the harvested cucumbers are sold as soon as they are picked.
"Cucumbers were planted in November of the previous year and harvested after more than two months. The harvesting period lasts nearly two months, with a yield of 1.5 tons per sao (approximately 1000 square meters). With an average selling price of 8,000 VND/kg, each sao brings in 12 million VND (1 hectare brings in 240 million VND), higher than other winter crops," Ms. Thuy shared.
Along the main roads from Minh Thanh commune to Thinh Thanh, you occasionally come across cucumber purchasing points. Cucumbers are packed in plastic bags, piled into large heaps, waiting for trucks to load them and transport them for sale. It is known that currently, there are 4 traders in Minh Thanh commune, each purchasing over 100 tons of cucumbers from local farmers.
Mr. Nguyen Cong Kien, a cucumber trader in Hamlet 1, Minh Thanh Commune, said: On peak days, he and his wife buy about 45 tons of cucumbers, which are loaded onto two large trucks for distribution to northern provinces. The cucumbers are harvested directly from the fields by the farmers, then weighed and paid for immediately.
Mr. Nguyen Trong Huong, Director of the Yen Thanh District Agricultural Services Center, said: "During the recent winter crop season, despite facing many difficulties due to the weather, farmers in the district planted about 70 hectares of cucumbers. The majority of this was grown in Minh Thanh, Thinh Thanh, and Dai Thanh communes, with scattered plantings in some other semi-mountainous communes."
The cucumbers grown by the farmers are a local variety, so the yield isn't very high, averaging 1.5 to 1.7 tons per sao (30-34 tons per hectare), but the quality is good, making them popular in the market. With an average selling price of 8,000 VND/kg, farmers earn about 240 million VND per hectare, much higher than other winter crops.
