Nghe An: "Expensive" job for rice transplanters during Tet

From early morning, on the road connecting Dien Nguyen to Dien Quang, Dien Dong, Dien Lien communes (Dien Chau), it is not difficult to see groups of people working together to plant rice for hire. Laughter and chatter resounded on the village roads.

Ms. Phan Thi Hang, Dien Quang commune, said warmly: "My family only has 2 sao of rice fields, so after finishing the planting early, I invited more sisters to go to neighboring communes to plant for hire. Tet is coming, any extra money is very precious."

Each group of hired rice transplanters usually has 3-4 people, most of whom are relatives in the village who invite each other to plant rice. Photo: Quang An

Ms. Hang, like hundreds of other rural women, is used to working as a hired hand when the harvest season comes. This job requires many factors, especially diligence and hard work. At 5am, in the cold weather, she has to get up to prepare meals, those who have motorbikes can travel less tired, many have to cycle around the fields. After negotiating the price with the homeowner, they start to plant.

The homeowner must spread the seedlings in advance so that there will be seedlings for the planters to work with. Photo: Quang An

Currently, the price of rice transplanting services has increased significantly compared to a few years ago, ranging from 250,000 - 280,000 VND/day. If the family has lunch time for the transplanters, the salary will be from 220,000 - 250,000 VND/day.

Some homeowners pay extra wages to planters if they ensure progress and plant well; they also bring food and water to the field to serve the planters.

Those who plant quickly and beautifully are often rewarded with extra money by the homeowner. Photo: Quang An

However, at this time, it is not easy to find people to plant rice for hire like in previous years. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoe, in Dien Dong commune, shared: "My family grows 6 sao of rice in the spring crop, some of my children are married far away, some are abroad, so we cannot cover that much land, we have to hire people to plant rice. This year it is very difficult to find people, we only found 4 people, we have to pay a high price so that they can come back tomorrow to continue planting, in case they go to another family with higher pay."

There are many reasons why the hired transplanting service is becoming more and more important, and the number of transplanters is decreasing, the main reason being the serious shortage of human resources in the countryside, especially young workers who have gone to work far away or abroad. Many elderly and middle-aged people are not healthy enough to complete the crop on schedule.

During breaks between planting sessions, the host offers the workers drinks and snacks such as candy, fruit... Photo: Quang An

Not only in Dien Chau district but also other districts such as Quynh Luu, Nghi Loc, Nam Dan, Thanh Chuong... have this service.

Although it only lasts for half a month, this service has helped many people earn extra income, especially during the Tet holiday. Those who work hard can earn several million dong from the Tet planting season.