In Quang Nam province, a barren, waterlogged field overgrown with reeds has been transformed by residents of Binh An commune, Thang Binh district, into a lotus farm, yielding four times the income of rice cultivation.
The Go Dai field in Binh An commune is a low-lying, acidic area, making it unsuitable for rice cultivation. Seeing the abandoned fields overgrown with weeds, Mr. Nguyen Van Thuat felt regret and began thinking of ways to improve them.
Seeing some wild lotus plants thriving, Mr. Thuat experimented with planting them in 2016, yielding good results. Since then, he hired excavators to dig and build embankments to retain water, creating four lotus ponds covering an area of 10 sao (one sao equals 500 m2).
Mr. Nguyen Van Thuat harvests lotus pods. Photo: Son Thuy
Starting in the first lunar month, Mr. Thuat buys lotus seeds and releases them into his pond. After more than three months, the lotus begins to flower and produce seed pods, and the season ends at the end of July. The muddy fields, always filled with water, allow the lotus to thrive, producing large seed pods and big seeds. With 10 sao (approximately 1000 square meters), he harvests about 30 kg of seeds every other day, selling them for 30,000 VND per kg.
Mr. Thuat spends about 10 million VND on seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides. Growing lotus is not as hard as growing rice; at the beginning of the season, he only weeds, and only sprays pesticides after the lotus grows and becomes infested with pests and diseases. "Each season, after deducting expenses, I earn about 60 million VND, four times more than growing rice," said the 71-year-old farmer.
At the end of the season, Mr. Thuat drained the pond to catch the fish. Under the lotus plants, snakehead and carp lived and thrived in abundance.
Locals harvest lotus pods. Video : Son Thuy
Next to Mr. Thuat's pond, Mr. Chau Thanh Hai cultivates one hectare of lotus plants that are currently in bloom. Every morning, he and his wife bring their tools to the pond to harvest the lotus pods. Because the area is large, they arrange themselves in rows to harvest. "We harvest the lotus seeds as soon as they are ripe; if they are too young, they won't work. When dried, the seeds will be very small, and traders won't buy them," Mr. Hai explained.
According to this farmer, this year's hot weather has caused many lotus plants to die, resulting in lower yields than last year. However, traders come directly to his house to buy the produce, so he doesn't worry about unsold stock. On average, his family earns nearly 100 million VND per season from harvesting lotus pods alone.
Elderly people peel lotus seeds for a fee of 3,000 VND per kilogram. Photo: Son Thuy
Mr. Le Hong Thiet, Chairman of Binh An commune, said that to date, more than 30 households in the commune cultivate lotus on about 15 hectares. Besides providing a decent income, lotus cultivation also creates jobs for many elderly people. Lotus pond owners bring the seed pods back and hire elderly people to separate the seeds, paying 3,000 VND per kilogram. Each day, those who do a lot of seed separation earn over 100,000 VND.
Source link
Comment (0)