Farmers along Lam River earn high income from growing "fake" potatoes
(Baonghean.vn) - Being an area with many rivers, streams, and sandbanks, Thanh Chuong people have long focused on exploiting this resource for production. Among them is a popular crop called "ho" potato. Because it is grown close to the river's edge, the risk is high but the income is very high.
These days, passing Dung Bridge, Thanh Chuong district, looking down at the riverbank on the right bank, it is easy to see the people of Thanh Linh commune harvesting sweet potato beds close to the water's edge.
These are "fake" potato fields that compete with floods and rains, and only local people who understand the weather, the history of water levels and have the courage to cultivate them.
According to Ms. Tran Thi Thuan in Linh Thuy village, Thanh Linh commune, after November, when the flood season is over, many fertile alluvial banks appear along the Lam River and other rivers and streams. These alluvial banks are very suitable for growing sweet potatoes, partly because, as our ancestors said, "potatoes are strange land", and sweet potatoes have a short growing period (about 90 - 100 days), so they are suitable for the winter period when the Lam River rarely floods, so they are not damaged.
Potatoes are grown close to the water's edge. This area is not contracted, no tax is paid, if it is good, it is "eaten for free", if the weather is disturbed and there is a late or early flood, it is considered a total loss, that is why the potatoes are called "free".
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| People in Thanh Linh commune (Thanh Chuong) harvest sweet potatoes grown on alluvial land. Photo: Dinh Ha |
Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien in Hamlet 4, Ngoc Son Commune, this year has 1 sao of sweet potatoes with an income of over 3 million VND, happily saying: It is said that planting "ho" is gambling with the weather, but every year there is a harvest. From planting "ho" near the water's edge, many people have now eliminated some plants with lower value such as corn, elephant grass, and mulberry to grow sweet potatoes on high ground. Another advantage is that sweet potatoes on the ground are easy to consume.
Sweet potatoes are currently priced at around 15,000 VND/kg; in addition to tubers, other by-products such as shoots and leaves are also a source of clean vegetables, so people are growing more and more. Currently, in Thanh Linh, Thanh Van, Dong Van, Ngoc Son communes... each commune has from 5 to 20 hectares; the whole district has about 300 hectares. If the average yield per sao reaches 2 tons, people will have a revenue of nearly 10 billion VND from sweet potatoes.
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| The "fake" potato field is located close to the riverbank at the foot of Dung Bridge of the people of Thanh Linh commune (Thanh Chuong). Photo: Dinh Ha |
From spontaneous planting by people living near the riverbank, recently, the agricultural sector of Thanh Chuong district and cooperatives have gradually joined with the people. According to Mr. Nguyen Nhu Thien - Director of Thanh Van Agricultural Cooperative, due to the effectiveness of "fake" potatoes on the alluvial land, the cooperative has imported some new varieties such as Hong Long, KL 05, initially giving much higher productivity and quality./.
