Nghe An farmers earn good income from a plant that sells both leaves and roots.

Purple garlic has been planted in Dong village for 3 years now. Photo: Thanh Phuc

In the fields of Dong village (Hung Tan commune), these days, farmers are actively taking care of the purple garlic plants that are growing. This year, the weather is unfavorable, so the garlic plants are growing less well than usual. It is expected that in a few weeks, the people of Dong village will harvest and trim the garlic plants to sell as herbs.

Mr. Phan Thanh Ha - Head of Dong village shared: “Previously, all this fertile land was planted by people growing vegetables, corn, peanuts, and some years green squash. However, because the winter vegetables were harvested in large quantities, the value was not high, and there were times when sales were slow, people switched to growing purple garlic. At first, only a few households experimented with planting, and found that garlic was suitable for the soil, had high productivity and economic value, so gradually, other households in the village switched to growing garlic.”

Purple garlic is suitable for the soil and climate here so it grows well. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Purple garlic is a cold-resistant plant that prefers cool temperatures and is not drought-resistant. The most suitable planting season for purple garlic is from the 9th lunar month and it can be harvested before or after Tet.

“The converted land of the commune is sandy loam, loose, rich in humus, well-drained, with an acidity of 6 - 6.5, very suitable for growing purple garlic. The land for growing garlic does not need to be plowed thoroughly; the planting technique is quite simple. Accordingly, each sao (North Central Coast) will need 50 kg of purple garlic seeds. The distance between garlic plants is 10 - 15 cm, the distance between rows is about 20 cm, pressing deep into the ground 2/3 of the height of the garlic clove, covering with small soil on top.

Growing garlic does not require much care and investment. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Then, cover it with straw to create moisture, porosity, and prevent weeds. Garlic plants do not need chemical fertilizers but mainly composted manure, so production costs are saved," said Mr. Phan Dang Minh - Vice Chairman of Hung Tan Commune People's Committee.

The garlic plant's growing period lasts 3 - 4 months before harvest, during which time, we only need to weed and fertilize 3 - 4 times. "The most labor-intensive part is regular watering, but thanks to the District People's Committee's investment in an automatic irrigation system, it doesn't take much time. This is consistent with the current reality when agricultural labor has decreased sharply.

To encourage people to expand their acreage, the People's Committee of Hung Nguyen district has invested in installing an automatic irrigation system and supporting 50% of seeds and fertilizers for people. Photo: Thanh Phuc

"Like my family, there are only two old people at home. If we grow 2 sao of vegetables, we will have to work hard in the field from morning to night, but growing garlic is easier," said Mr. Nguyen Trong Thinh, a garlic grower.

According to people's calculations, growing purple garlic requires little investment but the economic efficiency is 3 times higher than growing other crops. Each sao of purple garlic has an average yield of about 20,000 bulbs (equivalent to 3.5 quintals of dried garlic); with a selling price of 50,000 VND/kg, the revenue is about 20 million VND/sao. After deducting expenses, farmers make a profit of nearly 15 million VND.

With the selling price of 30,000 VND/kg of fresh garlic and 55,000 VND/kg of dried garlic, each sao of garlic farmers earn 15-20 million VND. Photo: Thanh Phuc

“In addition to higher income, the most “healthy” thing is not having to worry about output. If the price is good, we can uproot and sell the plants, each plant gets 2,000 VND as herbs; and when harvesting the bulbs, because the garlic is grown organically, it is fragrant, delicious, and safe, so we can uproot and sell all of it, selling fresh garlic right in the field. When the price of garlic is low, we dry it, and garlic is easy to preserve, so we wait until the price is good to sell, so we don’t have to worry about it being unsold or spoiled,” said Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh, a resident of Dong village who grows 2 sao of purple garlic.

If the price is not good, people harvest, dry, and preserve the garlic until the price increases before selling it. Photo: Thanh Phuc

After 3 years of implementation, up to now, the whole Dong village has 30 households growing purple garlic with an area of ​​over 2 hectares, households growing less grow 0.5 sao, households growing more grow more 2 sao of purple garlic. In the coming time, Hung Tan commune will conduct a survey to expand the area of ​​purple garlic production to increase income for farmers.