There is no call for 'rescue' of potatoes in Xiangyang district
(Baonghean.vn) - On the morning of March 6, on some personal Facebook pages, there was a post saying “Rescue potatoes for the people of Tuong Duong”. What is the truth about this issue?
In the 2023-2024 Winter-Spring crop, Chan village, Thach Giam town (Tuong Duong) cooperated with the Vietnam Institute of Agricultural Biology to grow commercial potatoes. The area of cooperation is 5 hectares with 38 participating households. People participating in the model are supported with seeds and fertilizers in the form of deferred payment; and are trained in techniques from planting to harvesting. In particular, the output of potatoes is guaranteed by the enterprise with tubers that meet the prescribed standards.
By the end of February 2024, 5 hectares of potatoes will be harvested. The estimated yield is 14-15 tons/ha. After harvesting, the amount of potatoes that meet commercial quality will be purchased by the enterprise at the field at the agreed price. Accordingly, 1 kg of commercial potatoes will be sold for 7,500 VND, and the amount of potatoes that do not meet the company's standards will be freely sold by the people at the market price.
After sorting, the total potato output in Chan village that meets the standards and is purchased by the company is 20 tons; the remaining 15-18 tons that do not meet the standards (tubers that are too big or too small, tubers with green skin, tubers with scars, etc.) are sold to the market by the people.
To support farmers in Chan village to consume potatoes, the town union and the Farmers' Association of Thach Giam town posted on their personal Facebook pages and groups the following content: "With the association with the Institute of Agricultural Biology, businesses, and the support of many forces, farmers in Thach Giam town have exported dozens of tons of commercial potatoes to the associated units. However, currently, the people still have more than 15 tons of potatoes, with diameters under 4.8 cm and over 9 cm. The potatoes are Atlantic varieties, big or small, delicious, rich, and crumbly, much better than potatoes on the market... Potatoes can be stored at room temperature for 8-9 months, can be kept as seeds, preserved for gradual use, and processed into many dishes... If you or your friends are interested, please contact Thach Giam farmers to enjoy them."
However, on the morning of March 6, a personal Facebook page posted a call for "rescue". Regarding this issue, Ms. Luong Thi Hien - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Thach Giam town affirmed: "There is no such thing as Thach Giam people calling for potato rescue. After weighing for businesses, the amount of potatoes that do not meet the standard for consumption is about 20 tons. Of which, people choose to keep about 10 tons for the next crop. The remaining number among the people is not much, the largest household is less than 100 kg. Potatoes have a long shelf life and are rarely damaged, so there is no need to "sell off" or call for rescue".
According to Ms. Luong Thi Van Anh - President of the Farmers' Association of Thach Giam town, to support people in consuming potatoes, town officials and people posted potato sales on Facebook. That was just the content of the sale, not a call for rescue. The retail price for people in Thach Giam town is 10,000 VND/kg, home delivery is 15,000 VND/kg.
So, there is absolutely no call for a rescue of potatoes. “The new model has just harvested its first crop and according to initial assessments, it is much more effective than previous crops. Therefore, posting rescue information is wrong in nature, causing confusion among people and making it difficult to replicate the model,” Ms. Hien affirmed.
Recently, on personal Facebook pages, associations and groups, there have been posts calling for the rescue of agricultural products such as shallots, sweet potatoes, potatoes, waxy corn, etc. However, in reality, in localities, there has never been a situation where agricultural products are stagnant and unsold to the point of needing to be rescued.
This invisibly causes agricultural products to lose value; makes it difficult for localities to implement crop restructuring and creates a bad impression on businesses and investors implementing linkages.
Sadly, some people consider posting "rescue calls" as a way to "promote consumption", but this is a short-sighted way of thinking. Because many consumers may "love" farmers and support and buy, but that is only a short-term benefit that loses the value and brand of agricultural products. Production according to the association model, strictly following the process and techniques set by the company, making agricultural products that meet commercial standards will be fully guaranteed.
