Turmeric has a good harvest and good price, farmers are excited

Turmeric has been associated with the lives of Quynh Vinh commune residents for decades. From the previously abandoned garden corners, the dry fields that could not grow rice are now covered with green turmeric plants. Almost every household in Quynh Vinh grows turmeric. Some families have a few clumps around their gardens, while others have several acres, sometimes even a whole acre. Some families have become rich from processing turmeric starch.

Mr. Ly Xuan Thuyet is one of the pioneers in the turmeric growing model in Quynh Vinh. Mr. Thuyet said: "My family has been growing turmeric for many years. Initially, there were only a few households in the commune growing turmeric to sell fresh turmeric as a spice to the market. Later, seeing that yellow turmeric (glutinous turmeric) was suitable for the climate and soil, the family converted most of the hilly land and front garden area that was used to grow low-yielding crops such as cassava, corn, etc. to grow turmeric."

Seeing the high economic benefits of turmeric, households in Quynh Vinh have gradually expanded their acreage and planned it into concentrated growing areas. According to statistics, currently, the entire Quynh Vinh commune has about 350 households growing turmeric, with an area of ​​about 60 hectares.

“Turmeric is easy to grow, suitable for mountainous soil, suitable for dry climate. Farmers plant turmeric from the beginning of this year and harvest it at the beginning of the next year. In the early stages when the turmeric has not grown well, people intercrop beans and corn to increase harvest,” said Mr. Tran Hung, Chairman of the Farmers’ Association of Quynh Vinh commune.

The main turmeric varieties grown by Quynh Vinh farmers are yellow turmeric, red turmeric and black turmeric, which produce many tubers, have high starch content, and high medicinal properties and are favored by the market. For about five years now, households have linked up with turmeric starch production cooperatives in the area, importing and selling turmeric tubers to cooperatives at stable purchase prices, selling out as soon as they are harvested.

“Each sao of turmeric yields about 1.5 tons of tubers, with the current market price of 5 million VND/ton, after deducting costs, the profit is about 4.5 - 5.5 million VND/sao. Compared to other crops, turmeric is quite economically efficient.

In particular, turmeric does not require much care, only requires effort and investment when planting seeds, then waiting for the turmeric to grow, develop and harvest, so it does not require much labor, suitable for the current shortage of rural labor," Mr. Hung added.

Turmeric is also the main crop of Nghi Kieu commune (Nghi Loc). Currently, the whole commune has about 100 hectares of turmeric, the locality with the largest area of ​​turmeric cultivation in the province. During the peak season, farmers stick to the hills and gardens to harvest. As soon as the harvest is over, people plow the land, make beds, and plant intercropping turmeric.

“The advantage of turmeric is that it is drought-resistant, requires little care and costs little. Most people can grow their own seeds, so they can be proactive in choosing good seeds and reducing initial investment costs. My family grows 6 sao of turmeric and earns about 30 million VND in profit each year after deducting expenses,” said Mr. Nguyen Anh (Nghi Kieu commune).

According to preliminary statistics, the whole province currently has about 500-600 hectares of turmeric of all kinds, mainly yellow turmeric and red turmeric with an output of about 15,000 tons/year.

Previously, the consumption of turmeric was entirely dependent on traders. Some years had good harvests and low prices, and vice versa, so it was very unstable. In 2019, for example, turmeric prices dropped dramatically, and there were no buyers, so people had to plow away the crop, and the number of households growing turmeric and its acreage decreased sharply.

For many years now, in the province, cooperatives that process turmeric such as turmeric starch, turmeric honey pills, etc. have been established and developed, linking with turmeric growers to create concentrated raw material areas with stable consumption prices, helping people feel secure in sticking with turmeric.

Ms. Tran Thi Le - Director of Binh An General Agricultural Service Cooperative (Quynh Vinh commune) said: "On average, each year, we purchase about 100 tons of turmeric for farmers in the commune. Deeply processed products from turmeric such as turmeric starch, turmeric honey pills... achieve 3 OCOP stars, the market is expanding, so the consumption of fresh turmeric for people is more convenient".