Nghi Lam (Nghi Loc): Growing shallots in winter brings in over 200 million VND/ha

(Baonghean.vn) - For a long time, chives have been a traditional crop of Nghi Lam farmers (Nghi Loc), but now chives are the crop with the highest income in the winter crop here, reaching over 200 million VND/ha.

Nghi Lam people sow chives.

Nghi Lam is a semi-mountainous commune that has formed a specialized area for growing chives to supply the market in and outside the province, with some households earning 30 - 40 million VND/crop. This year, Ms. Bui Thi Ly's family in hamlet 3 planted nearly 2 sao of chives, which is also the 10th year that chives have been planted on her family's land. Ms. Ly said that from July every year, households begin plowing the land, cleaning the grass, making high ridges for quick drainage, and using a thin rake to make furrows to sow seeds evenly. After sowing, cover with a layer of rice husks, straw and pine needles to keep the moisture for the plant to grow and create loose soil for large, beautiful bulbs. The planting time is 6 months, from August to February of the following year. Thanks to good care and proper application of technical procedures, her family's chives have a high yield of 5 quintals/sao every year, with large, beautiful white bulbs that are purchased by customers at the foot of the field.

In 2014, Ms. Ly planted 1 sao and harvested 500 kg at the end of the season, selling at the field price of 30,000 VND/kg, earning 15 million VND, minus expenses, net profit was 13 million VND (the family kept the seeds from the previous crop). With her level of intensive farming, Ms. Ly believes that this year if the weather is stable, her family's 2 sao of shallots will continue to bring in high income.

Ms. Bui Thi Ly, hamlet 3 Nghi Lam, planted 1 sao and by the end of the season harvested 500 kg of seeds, the selling price at the field was 30,000 VND/kg, earning 15 million VND, after deducting expenses, the net profit was 13 million VND.

Previously, people only planted in the hillside hamlets 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. The production process of chives has high value and high consumption demand, so up to now, Nghi Lam people have expanded the planting area in 19/19 hamlets, not only on the hillside land but also strongly developed in the fields.

Ms. Le Thi Duyen, an agricultural officer of Nghi Lam commune, said: Every year, the locality only grows about 40 hectares of chives, but people see the outstanding efficiency of growing chives, so they expand the area to 52 hectares. 1 hectare brings in an income of more than 200 million VND, minus production costs, the net profit is about 180 million VND/ha. The output is favorable, when the harvest season comes, traders come to the fields to buy as much as they can and sell it all, people are very excited. There are times when the price is high, people can even sell for 40,000 - 45,000 VND/kg. The commune encourages people to grow chives because this is the crop that brings the highest economic value on Nghi Lam land.

Take care of chives until harvest.

In addition, growing chives is considered a livelihood model that adapts to climate change, because chives are a plant that can be grown on high ground, well-drained and not actively drained, making use of ineffective land areas in local food production. Meanwhile, this is a crop with low investment costs, few pests and diseases, drought-resistant, very beneficial for farmers.

Quynh Lan