Off-season vegetables in Nghe An: Difficult to grow, easy to sell.
For many years, people in Nghe An have learned to overcome the disadvantages of hot, dry weather to grow off-season vegetables and fruits, bringing high economic efficiency.
With an area of 1,000m²2In the past, the Cao Thi Hoi family in Nghi Long commune (Nghi Loc district) was accustomed to growing vegetables and root crops according to the season. Growing vegetables according to the season was easy, easy to care for, and the vegetables grew quickly, but they were difficult to sell and the selling price was low. In some years, during the winter-spring season, hundreds of cabbages and nearly 100 kg of carrots and kohlrabi could not be sold and had to be cut down and fed to livestock.
For about three years now, determined to develop a household garden economy to generate income, her family renovated their garden, divided it into plots, and invested in an automatic sprinkler and underground irrigation system. Having control over irrigation water, she decided to grow off-season vegetables and fruits.
Despite the scorching sun at this time of year, the two acres of land belonging to her family are covered in a lush green carpet of vegetables such as celery, coriander, and cabbage… “In previous years, during these dry, sunny days, the garden would be barren, only growing water spinach and morning glory, but even those were hard to sell because everyone else had them.”
For the past three years, having a reliable water supply for irrigation, I've switched to growing off-season vegetables like kohlrabi, cabbage, and various types of leafy greens… Every day, after harvesting, traders from the commune come to buy everything, at a price three times higher than that of vegetables in the main season,” Mrs. Hoi said excitedly.
Construct a greenhouse with an area of nearly 1,000 m².2For the past two years, Mr. Ngo Sy Tuan in Dien Xuan (Dien Chau) has primarily been growing coriander and lettuce organically in rotation for sale on the market. Although he produces year-round, Mr. Tuan believes that the period from April to September each year is when vegetables fetch the highest prices and yield the most profit.
"During peak season, a bunch of coriander costs only 500-700 VND, and lettuce 10,000 VND/kg, but out of season, a bunch of coriander can sometimes go up to 3,000-4,000 VND, and lettuce up to 30,000-40,000 VND/kg. Growing vegetables out of season requires more care and is more laborious, but the profit is higher," Mr. Tuan shared.
Not only small-scale households but also farmers in fertile areas of the province such as Quynh Luu, Dien Chau, Nam Dan, Nghi Loc, etc., have found ways to overcome the harsh weather conditions to grow off-season vegetables and fruits, bringing high economic efficiency.
Mr. Ho Mau Tuan, representative of the Agricultural and Salt Production Cooperative and Agricultural Services of Quynh Minh commune, said: "Quynh Minh is a key vegetable-growing commune in Quynh Luu district, supplying vegetables to the local market and the central provinces, with a production of up to 12,000 tons of vegetables. 95% of households in Quynh Minh commune depend on vegetable farming for their livelihood."
Therefore, to improve the economic efficiency of vegetable cultivation, all production seasons throughout the year should be considered main seasons, not just the winter-spring season. Because the winter-spring season has favorable weather, is easy to plant and care for, every locality grows vegetables, every household can grow them, supply exceeds demand, and therefore prices are low.”
The most difficult time of year for growing vegetables is from April to September due to intense drought and early winter crops being affected by cold weather and frost. The secret to producing off-season vegetables in winter is to use plastic sheeting to help plants grow and develop well in unfavorable weather conditions, especially during the young plant stage. Because the plants are not directly affected by rain and frost, their leaves remain dry, thus limiting diseases caused by fungi and bacteria.
In the summer, after sowing the seeds, cover them with straw to retain moisture for germination; use shade covers or black netting, ensure a reliable water supply for irrigation, and combine this with regular fertilization to ensure the plants receive optimal moisture, preventing them from drying out, lacking water and nutrients, and resulting in poor quality.
Nghe An province has a strong advantage in vegetable production, with nearly 38,000 hectares of land dedicated to specialized cultivation, growing more than 20 varieties of vegetables; producing over 578,000 tons per year. Previously, vegetable production was mainly concentrated in the winter season, leading to oversupply, low prices, and low profits. Meanwhile, during other seasons of the year, the amount of vegetables is small, requiring imports from other localities.
Therefore, developing off-season vegetables and fruits increases the production turnover rate and improves economic efficiency. However, for off-season vegetable and fruit farming models to be highly effective and sustainable, farmers need to research the market and local authorities to orient the production of vegetables that are popular in the market, ensuring safety and efficiency. At the same time, conditions should be created to attract and find businesses to establish production linkages and guarantee product sales.