Selling online, Anh Son sweet potatoes are 'in high demand'

Growing 1 hectare of red sweet potatoes, with a yield of 5-6 quintals/sao, if all are harvested, the yield is estimated to reach 12 tons, so before the season, Mr. Nguyen Van Bac (village 2, Phuc Son commune) tried to promote sweet potatoes on social networks such as Zalo, Facebook and Fanpage groups. Information about potatoes, prices, shipping fees, and contact phone numbers are specifically publicized on his personal page.

Mr. Bac said: “Con Ke sweet potatoes are famous for their delicious taste, quality, and are favored by consumers. Previously, Con Ke sweet potatoes were mainly consumed within the district, traders came to buy wholesale and then sold at local markets. Recently, when social networks developed, when harvesting, we often post pictures of the potatoes and accompanying information to sell the potatoes. Thanks to that, Con Ke sweet potatoes are known to people everywhere. Currently, 70% of the consumption is within the district through traditional channels and 30% is consumed in provinces and cities across the country.”

Not only Mr. Bac but almost 50 households growing sweet potatoes in Con Ke have known how to "put potatoes online" to sell. From planting, caring, to harvesting, individuals update on their personal Facebook pages as well as friends and relatives. Especially, at this time, during the harvest season, when farmers are plowing and sorting potatoes, the cameramen livestream live on social networks, attracting a lot of followers, comments and orders.

Mr. Dang Dinh Thuyet - Party Cell Secretary and Head of Village 2, Phuc Son Commune said: “The entire Phuc Son Commune has about 15 hectares of red-skinned, white-fleshed sweet potatoes grown in the Con Ke area. Of which, most are grown by people in Villages 2 and 3. This is a traditional local potato variety, grown for many years. With its soft, sweet tubers and high nutritional content, Con Ke sweet potatoes are popular in the market, becoming a major source of income for many farmers.

In recent years, in order to expand the market, ensure output for sweet potato products as well as promote, introduce and build a brand for Con Ke sweet potatoes, people have expanded the area, selected good varieties and cared for quality potatoes; on the other hand, they have sought ways to promote potatoes on different channels: participating in fairs, product introduction booths and posting on social networking sites. At the same time, they have shipped potatoes to all provinces and cities by passenger bus.

Thanks to that, Con Ke sweet potatoes always have a stable consumption market, and are purchased as soon as they are harvested. Currently, the harvest season is in full swing, with hundreds of tons of sweet potatoes produced, but the price of sweet potatoes is always at a high level of 13,000 - 15,000 VND/kg, sometimes up to 20,000 - 25,000 VND/kg, still "sold out".

According to calculations, each sao of sweet potatoes, after deducting costs, brings in an income of about 4 - 5 million VND/sao. Compared to other crops, sweet potatoes are more effective, require less care and less material costs. In particular, thanks to the people's proactive efforts to find outlets, the consumption market is stable.

“We have contacted the Organizing Committee of the Tam Son Commune Red Cotton Flower Festival to arrange a booth to introduce and sell Con Ke sweet potato specialties at the festival. Because the festival will attract tourists from all over the world, this is an opportunity for us to promote Con Ke sweet potatoes to everyone.

Although the potatoes are currently not being harvested in time for sale, in order to compete in the market and expand consumption, product promotion is very important. Available varieties, suitable soil and climate, potatoes give high yields, so to expand the area or consider growing potatoes off-season, finding an outlet must be "one step ahead", Mr. Thuyet informed.

Thanh Phuc