Replicating clean sprouts

(Baonghean)The nutritional value of sprouts is 5 times higher than that of mature vegetables, so the demand for this vegetable is increasing, but with traditional production methods, sprouts do not meet safety standards and productivity is not high. To gradually increase the value of sprouts, the Center for Application of Science and Technology Advances is building a model for growing high-quality sprouts.

In some vegetable growing villages in the province, many households have grown sprouts to sell to restaurants, hotels, and supermarkets. Because sprouts are easy to grow, do not use fertilizers or pesticides, and are grown in a clean environment free of pathogens and harmful microorganisms, some families produce sprouts on a small scale. Although sprout production in Nghe An province has developed in a diverse manner, it is still small-scale, so it has not met the market demand and has not created high efficiency.

Sprouts are grown with common vegetable seeds, but have a short cultivation time, only about 5-7 days after planting can be harvested. Sprouts contain many minerals and vitamins B, C, E... Engineer Nguyen Thi Ngoc - an officer of the Center for Application of Science and Technology Advances said: "Each type of seed has its own growing techniques, but all follow the steps of soaking and incubating the seeds, making the substrate, then after sowing the seeds, entering the stage of caring for the plants and harvesting. Sprouts can be grown with all types of vegetable seeds, but the most effective are still radish, sweet cabbage, green cabbage, black beans, green beans, peanuts, water spinach, sunflowers, black sesame, rapeseed, long beans, soybeans, Malabar spinach... After only 1 week of sowing, the amount of sprouts can be harvested 10 times the amount of seeds sown and can be grown year-round".



Dong Vinh people (Hung Dong commune, Vinh city) produce bean sprouts using traditional methods.

Through research, it is known that the current demand for bean sprouts in the market is very large and only in Vinh City, about 20 tons are consumed every day. However, a current concern is that the authorities have not been able to manage the bean sprout production process in the villages growing green vegetables for sale in the market and the quality has not been strictly controlled.

To help people gradually increase the value of sprouts, the Center for Application of Science and Technology Advances has built a model of growing super clean sprouts on hard ground in a greenhouse at the Experimental Station with a planting area of ​​500m2 and after 1 week of planting, each day will harvest 60-90 kg of sprouts and this super clean product will be sold in supermarkets. This model is the basis for widespread replication. According to calculations, with 1 kg of seeds purchased for 70-90 thousand VND, after 1 week of planting, 3-4 kg of sprouts can be harvested and with the current selling price, 1 kg will earn about 20 thousand VND, the profit from 1 kg of seeds is over 60 thousand VND. Thus, if households in specialized vegetable growing areas invest in and apply the method of growing super clean sprouts on a greenhouse area, it will bring in a large source of income.

Along with producing sprouts using super clean technology at the Experimental Station, the Center for Application of Science and Technology Advances also built a "small organic agriculture" program to create conditions for urban households to take advantage of small spaces such as balconies, terraces, etc. to grow safe sprouts for their families.

Hoang Vinh