Growing 3 sao of shallots, Ms. Ho Thi Thin (Nghi Thuan commune) is actively harvesting the first crop. The price of shallots has doubled this year, at times when the rare commodity was purchased by traders at nearly 3 times the usual price.
Ms. Thin said that near Tet, the peak price of shallots was 100,000 VND/kg, then gradually dropped to 70,000 VND/kg and is currently at 50,000 VND/kg. This season, her family harvested about 1.5 tons, estimated to earn more than 70 million VND.
“Shallots are a high-value crop but require careful care. We plant them in the middle of the sixth lunar month and can harvest them after more than two months. In January and February of the following year, people can harvest shallots,” Ms. Thin shared.
The price of early season shallots is usually higher than usual, because the bulbs are firm, old, and starting to lose their leaves. People often harvest early to sell to traders.
In Nghi Lam commune (Nghi Loc district), people are also taking advantage of the favorable, warm weather to harvest onions.
Mr. Nguyen Van Hung's family has 2 sao of shallots grown on rice fields. "Growing shallots does not cost too much, but harvesting takes a lot of time, requiring patience and hard work. My wife and I have to go to the field early in the morning to harvest to avoid the sun. On average, we dig up about 25kg of shallots each day, earning more than 1 million VND," Mr. Hung said excitedly.
According to Mr. Hung, in addition to onions, there are times when the market demand for green onions is high, fluctuating at 25,000-30,000 VND/kg, people set aside areas to trim and sell, increasing their income. Compared to last year, this year the price of green onions is good, some people harvest 2 weeks earlier than the main season.
The high price of early-season onions is due to the fact that the harvest has not yet begun. In specialized onion growing areas, only about 20-25% of the area is ready for harvest. Supply is low, while demand is increasing, so prices are pushed up. According to traders, early-season onion prices are high this year, but they will decrease during the main crop.
“On average, I buy 300-500kg of onions every day. Depending on the demand, some days we buy less, some days we buy more. Since the beginning of the season, I have bought about 2 tons. These onions are sent to wholesale markets in Nghe An, Do Luong, Ha Tinh and Da Nang,” said Mr. Hoang Van Yen, a trader specializing in buying onions in Nghi Loc.
Chairwoman of the Farmers' Association of Nghi Thuan Commune (Nghi Loc District) Le Thi Hien informed that chives are one of the crops that bring high economic efficiency. The whole commune has an area of 95 hectares of chives, with an average yield of about 500 kg/ha.
Recently, the local government has supported people to build a brand of shallots according to VietGAP standards. In addition, people also intercrop corn, vegetables, etc. to earn more income.
Previously, people in Nghi Thuan and Nghi Lam communes (Nghi Loc district) grew rice or other vegetables, with very low economic efficiency. Before the policy of changing crop structure, many households boldly switched to investing in growing chives.
Shallots have gradually become a commodity product that brings in a good income for people, many times higher than rice and peanuts.
Kim Chi
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