Urgent output solutions for vegetable growing areas

(Baonghean) - The price of vegetables and fruits is so cheap that farmers in some vegetable growing areas in Nghe An province do not harvest them, leave them to wither in the fields or use them as... fertilizer. This reality requires localities to consider changing the crop structure to avoid mass production.

Vegetable growers do not want to harvest. Photo: Le Nhung

Currently in Nghe An, the prices of many vegetables have dropped sharply, farmers have to uproot kohlrabi, cabbage... because they cannot sell enough to harvest. Especially in districts such as Quynh Luu, Dien Chau, Nam Dan... farmers sometimes sell a ton of vegetables but still cannot buy a kilo of meat.

Vegetables into fertilizer

At this time, vegetable prices are too low, farmers cannot sell their crops, so they have to leave them unharvested, leaving them to rot in the fields, waiting for the next crop. In areas with large vegetable production areas in Quynh Luu district such as Quynh Bang and Quynh Luong, vegetable growers are currently facing a very difficult situation.

Vegetables such as mustard greens, kohlrabi, and cabbage were given away but no one took them. Many households uprooted them to make green manure. Mr. Ho Duc Nhat - Head of Hamlet 1, Quynh Luong Commune said: "All vegetables are greatly discounted, as cheap as giving away with 1,000 VND/kohlrabi, cabbage, 2,000 VND/kg of onions... while last year the price was 15,000 VND/kg of onions and 6,000 - 8,000 VND/cabbage".

In Nam Dan district, many vegetable fields are left unattended, causing the vegetables to wither and rot. Ms. Phung Thi Huong in Hamlet 9, Xuan Hoa Commune (Nam Dan) said: Vegetable growing has been part of her family for many years, becoming the main source of income, but never before have vegetables been wasted like this.

Partly because of favorable, warm weather conditions, vegetables have a good harvest, leading to a "local" surplus. People no longer want to harvest, because beans, which used to cost 10,000 - 15,000 VND/kg, are now only 3,000 - 4,000 VND/kg. Cabbage alone is only 1,500 VND/kg. Many households pull them out and feed them to cows to make room for growing other crops with higher income.

It is known that Xuan Hoa commune is one of the communes with the largest vegetable growing area in Nam Dan district with 170 hectares of vegetables, earning billions of dong in revenue each year from green vegetable products. But this year, a large amount of vegetables are grown but cannot be consumed, because of the abundant supply, vegetable prices have slipped, causing a series of vegetable and fruit fields to fail.

Anxious faces when cabbage cannot sell for a good price. Photo: Archive

Urgent output solution

Due to the falling price of green vegetables, many households have cleared their land to plant peanuts and squash in rotation to prepare for the upcoming season, trying to improve their income. Mr. Nguyen Ngoc An in Hamlet 4, Nam Anh (Nam Dan) said: “Since October, we have been very happy because the weather has been favorable, the vegetables have been in season, so we have worked hard to take care of them.

I spent tens of millions of dong to buy fertilizer and care for it, but now it has almost been a total loss. I have to plow the remaining cabbage to feed the cows, and use the land to plant new varieties of plants. I just hope that planting new varieties will bring income, so that farmers will suffer less.

At this time, people in many localities are preparing to plant new crops to suit the land and micro-climate. Ms. Nguyen Thi Tu in Xuan Hoa commune (Nam Dan) said that her family is switching to planting other crops on the vegetable growing area and added: "My family has promptly switched to growing sweet melon, tomatoes, peanuts... We vegetable growers really need businesses to cooperate to produce effectively and increase income...".

Many households in Nam Anh commune do not bother to take care of their vegetable fields, letting the beans dry up and die. Photo courtesy

However, to increase income for vegetable growers depends on the decisive market factor. While the consumption stage is still unstable and facing many difficulties, and there is no “midwife” business, localities need to join hands with people in shifting the appropriate crop structure. Many localities are promoting their strengths, continuing to grow vegetables that are popular in the market and planting in separate seasons to avoid harvesting large quantities at the same time.

Along with changing the crop structure, it is necessary to pay attention to supporting farmers to produce safe products to meet market demand, creating a foundation for expanding production scale and building brands for each region and each product field.

Through the discussion, Mr. Ho Dinh Thang - Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Nam Dan district said: "We encourage businesses to cooperate with farmers to build safe vegetable production areas in communes with conditions such as Nam Tan, Nam Loc, Nam Cuong; combine to expand the area of ​​high-value vegetables suitable for alluvial land such as green squash, pumpkin, carrots, potatoes, melons...".

The timely participation of authorities at all levels and enterprises in accompanying farmers in areas producing commercial vegetables, ensuring food safety, and applying science and technology according to VietGAP standards is an inevitable trend. Basically, to create products according to demand, people can do it, but solving the output for products requires the participation of enterprises and authorities, otherwise farmers will be struggling with crop products...

Phuong Thuy