Nghe An: Early winter crops yield a good harvest and fetch good prices.
Despite the challenging weather conditions, winter crops in Dien Chau are still growing and developing well. Currently, some early crops have already yielded high harvests, and prices are stable.
As a safe crop during the winter season, peanuts have been chosen as the main crop by farmers in Dien Chau district, covering nearly 800 hectares. Currently, the entire area has been harvested. This peanut crop in Dien Chau yielded over 1,600 tons of peanut seeds. The successful winter peanut harvest not only ensures sufficient seeds for the 2,500 hectares of spring peanut crop in the district but also provides a source of seeds for many localities within and outside the province.
Ms. Pham Thi Tho, a farmer from Dien Thinh commune, Dien Chau district, said: “Sown in August, despite unfavorable weather conditions, with heavy rains and flooding, thanks to years of intensive farming experience and timely care, the peanuts still yielded quite high productivity at harvest time. Each plot brought in 4 million VND, double the amount earned from growing corn.”
At this time, in areas producing winter crops on double-cropped rice land such as Dien Binh, Dien Tan, Dien Loc, and Dien Hoang, farmers are harvesting gourds and pumpkins. Cucumbers, planted early, have been harvested since mid-October, with an average yield of 1.5 tons per sao (approximately 1000 square meters). This year's winter cucumber prices are 20-50% higher than the previous winter season.
With the first crop being a success, after harvesting, Ms. Cao Thi Lien from Dien Loc commune planted a second cucumber crop in the winter season on her double-cropped rice land. After three years of cultivating cucumbers on double-cropped rice land, cucumbers have become the highest-income crop for Ms. Lien's family. She said: "This year, the prices of early winter crops are all higher than in recent winter seasons. For example, cucumbers fetched 15 million VND per sao (approximately 1000 square meters), several times more than growing rice."."Growing winter crops and producing melons and pumpkins has now become the main source of income for my family for the whole year."
This winter season, Dien Chau district planted 3,355 hectares of various crops, with about 75% being early-season crops. Although the area planted this winter season in Dien Chau decreased by about 10% compared to the previous season, the value is still ensured thanks to a good harvest and favorable prices.
At this time, local people are harvesting several types of vegetables such as cucumbers, leafy greens, pumpkins, squash, etc. There are up to 35 agents and businesses in the area that purchase winter crops, so farmers can sell their harvested produce immediately. During this period, farmers in various localities are continuing to expand the area planted with cold-tolerant vegetables and root crops to increase the value per unit area, serving the year-end market.
Mr. Le The Hieu, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Dien Chau district, shared: “This year's early winter crop has fetched good prices, helping to ensure the production value of the entire season and contributing to the growth of the agricultural sector in Dien Chau this year. After harvesting early crops, farmers are now focusing on planting some long-term crops such as cabbage, kohlrabi, cauliflower, and potatoes. For cabbage, kohlrabi, and cauliflower, we are directing farmers to stagger planting, with each crop spaced 15 days apart, to ensure there is no product surplus at the end of the year. For potatoes, cooperatives are directly cooperating with product purchasing units, signing contracts with households to determine product prices and ensure output for farmers.”
