(Baonghean.vn) - Racing against the rain and floods, farmers in Nam Loc (Nam Dan) are rushing to harvest their autumn cassava crop to deliver it to the factory on time. The selling price of cassava is 1,100 VND/kg, which, although not high, farmers are happy to accept because in such bad weather, the cassava would spoil if the harvest continued.
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| The alluvial plains along the Lam River in 5 hamlets (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) of Nam Loc are all planted with high-yield cassava by the local people, covering a total area of about 50 hectares. Currently, farmers are racing against the weather to harvest the cassava before the flood. |
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| Cassava is grown on riverside banks and is relatively easy to harvest. Children also participate in harvesting cassava with their parents. |
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| Ms. Dau Thi Thuan from Hamlet 2 said: "We should have harvested in October or November. Harvesting like this means the cassava is still immature, so the yield is only about 1.5 tons per sao (approximately 1000 square meters). My family planted 5 sao and harvested about 7 tons. At a price of 1,100 VND/kg, I earned over 7 million VND this season." |
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| The cassava plants are harvested in rows, with the plants and tubers arranged sequentially in the middle of the field for easy cleanup. A few years ago, this land was commonly used for growing beans, which yielded low productivity. After realizing that growing cassava was more profitable, the people completely switched to intercropping cassava with peanuts during the harvest season. |
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| The villagers use ox carts to transport cassava from the middle of the fields to the banks. |
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| Large piles of cassava on the edge of the fields, marked with cassava leaves to attract buyers, are waiting for customers. |
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| Traders from Do Luong come to buy the cassava starch to supply the cassava starch factory in Thanh Ngoc (Thanh Chuong). |
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| People usually stack cassava in basins to weigh it. The current price of cassava is 1,100 VND/kg. Compared to last year's price of 1,400 VND/kg, the price is lower this year. |
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| Cars drive out into the fields to buy cassava. According to the locals, harvesting young cassava before it rots in the rain like this "results in both weight loss and lower prices." However, this is the main source of income for the people of Nam Loc during the summer-autumn crop season. With 50 hectares of cassava, an average yield of 28 tons/hectare, farmers in Nam Loc estimate a harvest of 1,400 tons of cassava, equivalent to more than 10 billion VND (after deducting losses from stems and soil). |
Huy Thu
