Growing tomatoes, Quynh Luu farmers earn 100 million VND/ha

After Tet, tomatoes in the vegetable gardenQuynh LuuThe tomatoes are starting to ripen and people are entering the harvest season. Through research, it is shown that tomato growers are excited because they can sell at high prices, however, productivity has decreased, due to the recent rainy weather, making it difficult to grow, and many families even have to plant and replant.

After Tet, tomatoes in Quynh Luu have ripened and are ready for harvest. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Mr. Ho Van Son in Quynh Minh commune said that his family grows 4 sao of tomatoes (organic tomato variety). The weather in the last months of 2022 has been rainy, making it difficult to take care of, causingtomatoslow growth, some crops even have to be replanted. Due to difficulties from the beginning, although tomatoes produce a lot of fruit, the fruit is smaller than previous years, and the yield is low. Previously, this tomato variety yielded over 2 tons/sao, but this year it is estimated to only reach over 1 ton/sao. However, the high selling price has helped farmers make a profit. From the beginning of the season, traders bought at 16,000 VND/kg, which has decreased a bit, but is still higher than previous years.

This year, tomato yield is lower than previous years, but in return, the selling price is higher. Photo: Xuan Hoang

"People here plant in separate seasons, so the daily harvest of tomatoes is not much, while the market consumption is strong, it is predicted that tomato prices this year will always be high. Besides the tomato fields that are ready to be harvested, there are still tomato fields that have just produced fruit, and have not even climbed the trellis, so tomatoes in Quynh Luu will be harvested for many more months" - Mr. Ho Van Son said.

Observations show that on tomato patches that have ripened and are ready for harvest, farmers continue to fertilize and irrigate daily. Because farmers say that tomatoes produce many batches of fruit, and the harvest time is long, so care must be taken to prevent the plants from wilting and the fruit from growing quickly and beautifully.

People in Quynh Luu district often choose organic tomato varieties to grow. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Ms. Ho Thi Loan - owner of a tomato garden in the fields of Quynh Minh commune shared that growing tomatoes requires a lot of investment and long-term care. At the end of the growing period, tomato plants have old, yellow leaves that need to be pruned to make the field airy for the plants to grow well, the fruit to absorb more light, ripen quickly and have a beautiful appearance.

Calculations by farmers show that this crop of tomatoes will yield about 1.5 tons/sao. With the current selling price of 13,000 - 15,000 VND/kg, after deducting all expenses, tomato growers will still make a profit of 5 - 6 million VND/sao.

When tomatoes are ready to be harvested, people trim the leaves to expose the fruit, making it more eye-catching. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Ms. Vu Thi Bich Hang - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Quynh Luu district said: Last winter crop, the whole district planted about 50 hectares of tomatoes, concentrated in the communes of the coastal areas. The experience of Quynh Luu people is to spread out the crops, which is convenient for harvesting and consumption, avoiding the situation of harvesting at the same time, leading to "oversupply" and price pressure.

"Although the yield is low, traders buy at high prices, so tomato growers in Quynh Luu this season still make a profit of 100 - 120 million VND/ha," said Ms. Vu Thi Bich Hang.

Besides the tomato patches that are ready for harvest, there are still tomato patches that have not climbed the trellis. This is the experience of Quynh Luu farmers who plant in separate crops to extend the harvest time and avoid being forced to lower prices. Photo: Xuan Hoang