Farmers in Nghe An province rent land for winter crops and form associations to sell their produce.

The lush green pumpkin gardens lining both sides of National Highway 15A, passing through Trang Son commune (Do Luong district), were created by farmers from other localities. Photo: Xuan Hoang

These days, along both sides of National Highway 15A, the section passing through Trang Son commune (Do Luong district) clearly shows rows of lush, green pumpkin gardens, in full bloom and bearing fruit. Upon inquiry, it was revealed that these are the gardens of...zucchiniSome farmers from Anh Son district came here to rent land for production.

Nguyen Van Vinh, the owner of the pumpkin garden, is engrossed in tending to his pumpkin plants under a cool trellis made of bamboo and plastic netting. He explains: Coming from a farming family in Hamlet 5, Tao Son Commune (Anh Son District), he has extensive experience in agriculture, especially in growing vegetables. Because his family doesn't own much land, for many years he and some others in the hamlet have been renting land in other localities to produce commercial vegetables. From Thanh Chuong to Do Luong... for nearly 10 years, his group has rented dozens of hectares of land each year to grow vegetables, with green pumpkins being the main crop.

Mr. Nguyen Van Vinh is delighted with a thriving pumpkin crop, which is expected to yield a high harvest. Photo: Xuan Hoang

In Trang Son commune, Do Luong district, Vinh's group leased nearly 15 hectares of land, with Vinh himself owning 3 hectares. The land rent was 8 million VND/hectare/year, for a period of 5 years. With the land in hand, Vinh and his group produce two crops of green squash per year, supplying hundreds of tons to the market. Thanks to their experience and proper care and investment, each hectare is expected to yield 70-80 tons of fruit.

To cultivate 1 hectare of green squash, the investment is approximately 140 million VND, because in addition to seeds and fertilizers, trellises must also be built. All the produce is sold to independent traders at current market prices. Before planting, the farmers had established connections with traders in the North to sell their produce. Therefore, when the squash is ready for harvest, traders come directly to the farm in trucks to buy up the entire crop.

However, to avoid oversupply, Vinh's group divided the pumpkin crop into several batches for staggered harvesting. Therefore, alongside the pumpkin fields that have just started bearing fruit are plots of land where the seeds have just been planted.

Alongside the lush green pumpkin fields, currently bearing fruit, are plots of land where seedlings have just been planted to avoid oversupply. Photo: Xuan Hoang

"This past spring, green squash fetched a good price, averaging 10,000 VND/kg, so farmers made a decent profit. But..."winter crop"The price has dropped to 6,000 - 7,000 VND/kg, although not as much as the previous season, but we still make a profit. Farming is hard work, but if there's a connection to the market, we don't have to worry about unsold produce," shared Mr. Nguyen Van Vinh.

According to Mr. Le Anh Son, Director of the Agricultural Services Center of Do Luong district, some people from other localities are currently coming here.lease agricultural landThis practice is prevalent throughout the district, with the highest concentration in Trang Son commune. This approach benefits both sides, because when local people have no need for production, leasing the land to farmers from other localities results in cleaner, more beautiful fields, leading to a better supply of goods to the market.