Off-season green squash in Nghia Dan fetches a good price.

Previously, the alluvial plain next to the Hieu River in Nghia Thinh commune (Nghia Dan district) belonged to the residents of Tong Mon hamlet. After many years of unsuccessful cassava and peanut cultivation, the land was left fallow. Since 2022, Mr. Truong Xuan Nam's family in Quyet Thang hamlet, Nghia Thinh commune, has leased over 1.5 hectares of land to invest in growing green squash. Each year, the family grows two main crops: spring-summer and autumn-winter. The main crop yields a good harvest, but the price is not high, only reaching 5-7 thousand VND/kg. In the summer-autumn crop of 2024, his family invested in growing off-season green squash, which proved significantly more profitable.

Mr. Nam said: "My family has been growing green squash for 2-3 years, and this year I boldly invested in planting it during the summer-autumn season. Although the weather was very sunny at the beginning of the season, which wasn't favorable for the squash's growth, the weather became very favorable during the flowering and fruiting stages, resulting in a fairly high yield. Starting in June, my family planted the seeds, and we are currently harvesting. With an area of ​​1.5 acres, my family earned nearly 200 million VND, and we expect to harvest another 3-4 crops from now until the end of the season."

“The reason our family started growing pumpkins out of season is because the economic value is many times higher than growing them in the main season, and the product is easier to sell. Currently, we sell them at the field for 18,000 - 25,000 VND/kg. If the price remains stable, we can earn an average of over 20 million VND per sao (approximately 1000 square meters), making a profit many times greater than other types of vegetables…”

Sharing in that joy, Mrs. Le Thi Ha's family is delighted because this summer-autumn season they cultivated 2 sao (approximately 0.2 hectares) of green squash. At current prices, each harvest yields over 4 tons of squash, equivalent to 65 million VND. She said: Green squash brings high economic value compared to many other crops such as rice, corn, and peanuts. On average, one sao of off-season green squash, if fully harvested, can buy 4 tons of rice.

Regarding planting and care, based on Ms. Ha's own experience and training from the commune's Farmers' Association, before planting, she soaks the seeds, seals them tightly, and after a few days when the seeds sprout, sows them directly or in plastic bags before transplanting them to the field. When the plants reach 90-100cm, she begins to build a trellis by diagonally inserting support stakes to form a roof-like structure to utilize the space. When the vines climb, they should be left in a natural position, not twisted or inverted. Banana fiber or sticky rice straw is used to tie them neatly under the leaf axils and secure them to the trellis. Each plant is allowed to have 2-3 main branches, with 2-3 fruits on each branch. Harvesting begins when the fruits are about 60-70 days old.

Nghia Thinh commune has over 100 hectares of alluvial sandy land along the Hieu River that is unsuitable for growing crops. Recognizing agriculture as the main direction of development, the local government has recently sent residents to study successful models in other districts. They have found that pumpkins are a short-term cash crop that yields the highest income, especially when grown out of season. Therefore, the government encourages residents to expand the cultivated area and continue to find suitable crop varieties to diversify crops and avoid the situation of bumper harvests leading to price drops.

Mr. Nguyen Van Trung, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghia Thinh commune, said: "Identifying agriculture as the main direction, in recent times, officials and people of Nghia Thinh commune have boldly transformed the crop structure, applied scientific and technical advancements to production, and built many commercial economic models. Through the implementation period, the locality has determined that green squash remains the short-term cash crop that yields the highest income."

Minh Thai