Farmers earn hundreds of millions from eggplant and pumpkins.

(Baonghean.vn) - Farmers in Con Cuong and Anh Son districts are harvesting eggplant and pumpkins. Eggplant is considered to have the most stable market demand among current vegetables and fruits, providing a fairly good income.

People in Chi Khe harvest eggplant. Photo: Hanh Minh

For the past few years, farmers in Chi Khe - Con Cuong have switched to growing vegetables, with eggplant being a particularly dominant crop. Currently, eggplant growers are entering the harvest season, and with relatively high prices, reaching 10,000 VND/kg at the beginning of the season, the farmers are very excited. It is estimated that one sao (approximately 1000 square meters) yields an income of nearly 40 million VND over six months.

The family of Ms. Nguyen Thi Chau, in Tien Thanh village, Chi Khe commune, has been growing eggplant for over 10 years. They cultivate more than 3 sao (approximately 3,000 square meters) of eggplant, investing nearly 700,000 VND in plastic sheeting, plus fertilizer, seeds, etc., totaling over 2 million VND. Eggplants are ready for harvest about 4 months after planting.

Ms. Chau said that eggplant has the most stable market for crops currently available. After harvesting, she brings the produce to the purchasing point, where it's weighed and she receives payment immediately, without having to worry about finding buyers. Each year, she earns 80 million VND from eggplant.

Ms. Tran Thi Xanh, a farmer in Tien Thanh Hamlet, Chi Khe Commune, added: "Eggplants can be harvested in a rotational cycle of about 6 months, with 4-5 harvests per month. During the rainy months, when the eggplants are abundant, to ensure timely harvesting and sale to traders, households often form groups, each group consisting of 4-5 households helping each other with the harvest."

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

Ms. Xanh also said that most eggplant growers cultivate their own seedlings and begin planting from the ninth lunar month. Chi Khe commune has the largest eggplant growing area in Con Cuong district.

The entire commune currently has 15 hectares of eggplant cultivation concentrated in the two villages of Tien Thanh and Quyet Tien. To improve the yield and quality of the eggplant, most eggplant growers here cover the soil with plastic sheeting to maintain moisture and promote healthy plant growth.

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

The family of Mr. Mai Van Kien in Hamlet 9, Tao Son Commune, has been growing pumpkins for the past three years. Mr. Kien said that this winter season, his family will continue to plant 3 sao (approximately 0.3 hectares) of pumpkins on their rice paddies. With its easy-to-grow and easy-to-care-for characteristics, requiring little labor, the pumpkin crop yields high returns in just 70 days from planting to harvesting.

Since harvesting the first crop, his family has sold 4 tons of fruit, earning over 20 million VND at the farm gate price of 5,500 VND/kg. They expect to harvest another 3 tons of fruit between now and the end of the season.

Farmers in Cao Son harvest pumpkins. Photo by Thai Hien.

Mr. Phan Sy Quy, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Tao Son commune, said: "In recent years, the restructuring of crop patterns has developed strongly in Tao Son. The entire commune has nearly 10 hectares of pumpkin cultivation."

According to estimates, one sao (approximately 1000 square meters) of pumpkins yields an average of 1.5-2 tons. At the current price of 5,500 VND/kg, after deducting costs, the income is around 120 million VND/ha. Besides harvesting the fruit, farmers also utilize the pumpkin shoots and flowers for sale as vegetables. Importantly, there's no need to worry about product sales because traders come directly to the fields to purchase the produce during each harvest season.

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

Thai Hien - Hanh Minh