Working in the sun to collect straw, Nghe An farmers earn hundreds of millions of dong

Straw collectors have to work in the fields all day in the hot sun. Photo: Xuan Hoang

The hottest days are also the time when farmers in the areaNghe Anduring the spring rice harvest. At the same time, straw collectors are also busy following the season to get more "spoils of war".

In the fields of Nam Thanh, Lien Thanh, Xuan Thanh communes... of Yen Thanh district, when the sun was at its zenith, groups of men appeared "in the sun" loading bundles of rolled straw onto trucks.

Mr. Le Van Sy in hamlet 2, Lien Thanh commune said that many years ago, he invested hundreds of millions of dong to buy a straw rolling machine to carry out the process.straw collectionevery time the rice harvest season comes. This job sounds simple, but in fact it is very hard, because the customer's requirement is that the straw must be dry, golden, not wet, moldy... Therefore, the straw collectors are forced to go to the fields from noon until 4 pm.

All straw collected during the day must be transported to the warehouse before sunset to avoid dew causing moisture. Photo: Xuan Hoang

"Currently, I have 2 straw rolling machines. Every day, I hire 5-7 workers to collect straw in the fields. In total, each croprice harvest, I collected over 4,000 rolls of straw (each roll weighs nearly 20 kg), selling for 40,000 VND/roll, earning hundreds of millions of VND. However, because the workers had to work during peak hours of hot weather, the cost was high, so the profit was only about 30%. In recent years, many large-scale livestock farming enterprises have a huge demand for straw for food, so they are only afraid of not having the strength to collect, not worried about unsold products", Mr. Le Van Sy shared.

Having been working in the straw collecting business for more than 5 years and being one of the first to invest in a straw collecting machine in Yen Thanh district, Mr. Sy shared that in the past, people often mobilized manpower to collect straw to feed livestock. Households that did not use it would burn it, which was not only wasteful but also polluted the environment. To take advantage of this abundant by-product, he proactively researched and invested in buying a straw collecting machine and supplying it to the market. Thanks to the convenience of the straw collecting machine, a part of the straw after the harvest has been effectively utilized.

Straw harvesting is most convenient when the weather is sunny and dry. After harvesting, each field is left to dry in the sun for 2-3 days before being rolled. Straw must never be collected in the late afternoon or early morning, because the humidity is high at this time, and the straw will be damp and will not meet customer requirements. Therefore, this job requires going to the field during the hottest time of the day to ensure the quality of the straw. If the weather is erratic, straw harvesting will be affected, so on days of continuous hot weather, you must take advantage of the time.

During the rice harvest season, a lot of straw is left in the fields. If it is not collected for agricultural purposes, it is a waste. Photo: Xuan Hoang

It is known that in Yen Thanh district, there are only a few farmers investing in straw collection machines. In addition, other districts such as Do Luong, Thanh Chuong... also have people investing in this profession, but not many.

Mr. Nguyen Tien Duc - Head of the Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection said: Straw is a fairly abundant source of by-products after each rice harvest season in Nghe An. Dry straw is used for many purposes in agriculture: Feed for cattle, mushroom production, bio-fertilizer, serving cultivation... Therefore, some farmers should be encouraged to collect straw. Because if not collected, farmers will burn it in the fields, causing environmental pollution and wasting this resource.

Xuan Hoang