Farmers earn hundreds of millions from eggplant and pumpkin

(Baonghean.vn) - Farmers in Con Cuong and Anh Son are harvesting eggplant and pumpkin. Eggplant is considered to have the most stable output among all vegetables and fruits today and brings in quite good income.

Chi Khe people harvest eggplant. Photo: Hanh Minh

In recent years, farmers in Chi Khe - Con Cuong have switched to growing vegetables, in which eggplant has always been dominant. Currently, eggplant growers are entering the harvest season, with quite high prices, at the beginning of the season 10,000 VND/kg, so households are very excited, calculating that one sao gives an income of nearly 40 million VND/6 months.

The family of Ms. Nguyen Thi Chau, Tien Thanh village, Chi Khe commune has been growing eggplant for more than 10 years. Her family grows more than 3 sao of eggplant, investing nearly 700 thousand VND to buy plastic cover, plus fertilizer, seeds... the total cost is over 2 million VND. The eggplant is ready to harvest after about 4 months of planting.

Ms. Chau said that eggplant has the most stable output among current crops. After picking, bring it to the purchasing point, weigh it and receive payment immediately, without having to worry about output. Every year, she earns 80 million VND from eggplant.

Ms. Tran Thi Xanh, an eggplant grower in Tien Thanh village, Chi Khe commune, added: Eggplants are harvested in a 6-month cycle, 4-5 times a month. During rainy months, when the eggplants are in full bloom, in order to harvest and sell to traders in time, households often form groups, each group consisting of 4-5 households helping each other pick.

Chi Khe farmers (Con Cuong) harvest eggplant. Photo by Hanh Minh (Con Cuong radio).

Ms. Xanh also said that most households growing eggplants grow their own seedlings and start planting from the 9th lunar month. Chi Khe commune is the locality with the largest eggplant growing area in Con Cuong district.

The whole commune currently has 15 hectares of eggplant growing concentrated in two villages, Tien Thanh and Quyet Tien. To improve the productivity and quality of eggplant, most households growing eggplant here cover the soil with plastic to maintain soil moisture for good plant growth.

Farmers in Anh Son are also focusing on harvesting pumpkins - the main crop in the winter in Anh Son, bringing in an income of 120 million VND/ha.

Mr. Mai Van Kien's family in village 9, Tao Son commune, has been growing pumpkin for 3 years now. Mr. Kien said: this winter crop, his family continues to grow 3 sao of rice fields. With the characteristics of being easy to grow, easy to care for, and not requiring much labor, after only 70 days from planting to harvesting, pumpkin plants have brought high efficiency.

From the first harvest so far, his family has sold 4 tons of fruit, with the field price of 5,500 VND/kg, he earned over 20 million VND. It is expected that from now until the end of the season, his family will harvest 3 more tons of fruit.

Cao Son farmers harvest pumpkins. Photo by Thai Hien.

Mr. Phan Sy Quy - Vice Chairman of Tao Son Commune People's Committee said: In recent years, in Tao Son, the conversion of crop structure has been strongly developed. The whole commune has nearly 10 hectares of pumpkin area.

According to the assessment, on average, 1 sao of squash yields 1.5-2 tons, with the current price of 5,500 VND/kg, after deducting expenses, the income is 120 million VND/ha. In addition to harvesting the fruit, people can also take advantage of the squash tops and flowers to sell as vegetables. In particular, there is no need to worry about the output of the product because during each harvest season, traders come to the fields to buy for the people.

The entire Anh Son district currently has nearly 100 hectares of pumpkin, grown in many communes such as Cam Son, Dinh Son, Tao Son, Thach Son, and Linh Son.

Thai Hien - Hanh Minh