On the days leading up to the Lunar New Year, members of the Nhuan Thach clean vegetable growing cooperative managed by women in Dong Tien commune (Thanh Hoa city) took advantage of the sunny weather to rush to the fields to take care of vegetables in time for the Tet crop.
Ms. Thieu Thi Hien, a member of the cooperative, said: "My family is taking care of vegetables in time for the new crop to sell during Tet. Some of the remaining beds have just been sown so that we can continue to harvest the crop after Tet, avoiding mass production, difficult to sell, and reducing costs. I grow short-term vegetables such as cucumbers, sweet cabbage, herbs... These types take about 25 - 30 days to harvest. With an area of 2,500m2 growing cucumbers, chili peppers, and vegetables, my family takes turns harvesting and has a stable income.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh's family has grown vegetables for 20 years with an area of 1,000m2, mainly growing cucumbers and vegetables. Realizing that the market demand is very high before, during and after Tet, she has to carefully calculate the planting and care time frame. Ms. Binh said: "Every year, my family has a stable income, an average of more than 10 million VND per month and is also a consumer for many other households. All households have an increasing income according to the season, year and type of crop, so they are very eager to do it."
Growing vegetables for sale on holidays and Tet brings high income to many farmers, especially in suburban areas. Grasping market demand, many households in Dong Tien commune have proactively changed crops and seasons; changed production methods, proactively sought markets and linked to find outlets for vegetable consumption. Vegetable growing is considered a traditional occupation with high economic value in the commune. In order to support members and women to have conditions to develop more sustainable production, in mid-2024, the Provincial Women's Union directed the launch of Nhuan Thach clean vegetable growing cooperative managed by women in Dong Tien commune under the Project "Supporting cooperatives managed by women and creating jobs for female workers in the period 2022-2030" approved by the Provincial People's Committee. The vegetable growing profession of the commune has more conditions to develop. The cooperative has 30 members producing various vegetables on a total area of 4.5 hectares and has been supported by the Provincial Women's Union with 5.62 tons of bio-fertilizer, NPK and potassium fertilizer; cucumber, chili and corn seeds with a total cost of over 100 million VND. In addition, the cooperative members contribute counterpart capital to ensure maintenance and development.
By joining the cooperative, members are trained and given technical guidance. In addition, the People's Committee of Dong Tien commune also pays attention to planning concentrated vegetable growing areas and improving the canal system to facilitate production by cooperative members. The Women's Union of the commune pays attention, guides, advises and supports the cooperative to operate effectively.
Although it has only been in operation for 6 months, the Board of Directors and members of the Cooperative are mostly young, so they are very sensitive to the market. The Cooperative also undertakes the "service" stage of product supply, which is a new and creative point, forming a closed production and business cycle, ensuring quality from production to product consumption. In production, the Cooperative thoroughly applies biotechnology products to replace toxic chemicals; acts as a focal point for supplying seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and making production plans for each member, while consuming products. This has created more jobs for women, especially poor women and women in difficult circumstances.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoi, Director of the Cooperative, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors, said: As one of the main clean vegetable suppliers for people in the commune and Thanh Hoa city, the vegetable growing members all have seniority and production experience. They learn very quickly and apply effectively in practice. The average output of the Cooperative is from 120 to 150 tons/year with the following types: cucumber, chili, sticky corn, mustard greens, jute, water spinach... Products are distributed to local markets and wholesale markets, livestream sales outlets. Particularly during Tet, when demand increases, the Cooperative also increases output by 15% to meet market demand. Currently, some vegetable products have begun to be harvested, and it is expected that the profit of the Tet vegetable crop will increase by more than 10%.
According to the Cooperative's calculations, the revenue for each crop of growing melon (35 days) is expected to reach 300 million VND/ha; growing chili (90 days) is expected to reach 60 million VND/ha; growing F1 hybrid corn is expected to reach 50 million VND/ha. The Cooperative will set aside a portion of the profit to invest in the next crop.
The activities of Nhuan Thach Clean Vegetable Cooperative, managed by women in Dong Tien commune, have gradually changed the fragmented and small-scale production method, aiming to build a production cooperative according to the value chain, closed process and affirm the brand "Nhuan Thach Clean Vegetable Area", contributing to promoting local agricultural production towards concentrated production, bringing high economic value.
Article and photos: Minh Trang
Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/hop-tac-xa-rau-sach-nhuan-thach-vao-vu-tet-236481.htm
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