In many localities in the province, intensive winter crop cultivation has brought significant income to the people. However, for the mountainous district of Vo Nhai, the potential for developing winter crops, especially green vegetables, is still open.
 |
| Many rice fields in Vo Nhai district are left empty because farmers do not cultivate the winter crop. |
A common sight in all communes and towns of Vo Nhai district after the harvest of the winter-spring rice crop is the bare stubble. In the vast fields, occasionally you can see a few green patches of corn or a few small vegetable beds. For 2-3 months, the fields are left fallow, waiting until after Tet when the weather is warm, then the highland farmers plow and sow the spring rice.
Waving her hand to point to the empty field in front of her, Ms. Trieu Thi Tham, in Lang Chieng hamlet, Lau Thuong commune (Vo Nhai), said: A few years ago, there were some households in the hamlet that grew winter corn, but now there are very few, because the efficiency is not high. This year, the whole field has only my family and another household growing vegetables. I also only grow 5 rows of all kinds of cauliflower, cabbage, kohlrabi, green onions... mainly to serve the needs of the family, if there is any surplus, I bring it to the market in Dinh Ca town to sell. I have the strength to do more, but I can't sell what I grow.
Like Ms. Tham, Ms. Luong Thi Tue is one of the few people who grow winter vegetables in Nghinh Tac hamlet, Sang Moc commune. Every winter, her family grows 3 sao of various green vegetables, including kohlrabi, cabbage, tomatoes, etc. Thanks to the loose soil and the abundant water source from the mountain streams, the vegetables grow and develop well. However, for many years, Ms. Tue has not been able to expand the cultivated area.
Ms. Tue explained: Because it is far from the center, most of the vegetables grown can only be sold to local people, and the price is much lower than in other places. In addition, most households in the area have a few plots of land to grow vegetables for daily use. If they grow vegetables exclusively, I think it will be difficult to sell.
Or like in Lung Ca hamlet, Thuong Nung commune, hamlet chief Ma Hanh Du said: The whole hamlet has 12 hectares of agricultural land but the winter crop is completely abandoned because there is no irrigation water, so neither vegetables nor corn can be grown.
 |
| On average, each year, Vo Nhai district has about 500 hectares of winter crops. |
According to statistics, the entire Vo Nhai district has over 4,000 hectares of rice land. Farmers in the area mainly cultivate 2 rice crops per year, the spring crop lasts from March to June and the summer crop from early July to October every year. However, the winter crop production area each year only reaches around 500 hectares, accounting for less than 13%. Of which, there are over 300 hectares of vegetables, the rest are corn and other crops (soybeans, sweet potatoes, tomatoes...).
Explaining this, a representative of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vo Nhai district analyzed: The areas that can grow winter crops are all in low-lying areas including Dinh Ca town and Phu Thuong, Lau Thuong, and La Hien communes. In the highland communes, there are very few streams with abundant water in winter. In addition, gray soil and red soil account for 75% of the agricultural land area. This type of soil is more suitable for growing fruit trees and medicinal plants than growing crops.
Another factor that limits winter crop production in Vo Nhai is the difficult consumption market and low product prices. Remember a few years ago, when harvesting the winter crop, people in Trang Xa and Dan Tien communes had not yet had time to be excited about the good harvest of pumpkins and squashes, but were already burdened with worries because the prices were too low. Pumpkins were difficult to sell, and traders forced down prices, making people less interested in the following crops.
Despite the difficulties, Vo Nhai district has recently had some solutions to improve the efficiency of winter crop production. Accordingly, the district has directed communes and towns to focus on planting high-yield, high-quality corn and other crops. At the same time, it has actively developed new winter crop models such as sweet peppers, sweet corn, baby melons, etc. Although only on a small scale, the initial results have been quite positive (baby melons bring in a profit of 7 million VND/sao; sweet corn and sweet peppers bring in a profit of 5-6 million VND/sao).
The district is coordinating with the University of Agriculture and Forestry (Thai Nguyen University) and institutes and research centers to analyze the local agricultural production potential. From there, there will be appropriate production orientations for each region, each crop season of the year and make the most of the local agricultural development potential.
Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202503/danh-thuc-tiem-nang-vu-dong-o-vo-nhai-997393d/
Comment (0)