Farmers in the highland communes of Nho Quan district focus on planting crops.

In the 2023-2024 Winter-Spring crop, Nho Quan district is the locality with the largest planned vegetable planting area in the province with 2,900 hectares. These days, taking advantage of the rainy weather, farmers are going to the fields to speed up the planting progress, ensuring the crop schedule.

In the highland commune of Cuc Phuong in the last days of February, in the drizzling spring weather, the atmosphere of the people's production is extremely bustling. Many bicycles and motorbikes are parked along the roadside, and in the distance, in the fields at the foot of the mountain, groups of about 10-20 people gather to sow and plant. Wherever the tractor tills the soil, the farmers dig holes, then add fertilizer, sow seeds, and cover the soil. The special thing I observed here is that the people do not use any herbicides and the fertilizer is completely organic combined with a little phosphate fertilizer, so the soil is quite loose.

Farmers in the highland communes of Nho Quan district focus on planting crops. — Families often exchange labor with each other to make planting faster and more convenient.

While quickly planting corn, Mrs. Quach Thi Hien, in Nga 2 village, explained: Corn and cassava are mainly produced for family livestock, especially deer - a valuable animal but also quite sensitive to chemicals, so people absolutely do not use chemical fertilizers or pesticides. According to Mrs. Hien: Because production depends entirely on the weather, people have to wait until February 22 when there is a light spring rain before going to the fields. Each family exchanges labor with the other, so it is very fun and fast. With this method, the family's 6 sao of cassava and corn fields only need 2 days of work.

While waiting for the tractor to plow the land, Mr. Dinh Van Hau in the field next door shared: My family raises 5 pairs of deer, in addition to pigs and chickens. Therefore, to proactively provide food for my children, in addition to 2 sao of elephant grass, I also grow corn, potatoes, and cassava of all kinds. In the context of increasingly complex weather, in recent production seasons, I have researched and selected new generation hybrid corn varieties to plant to increase resistance to heat, pests, reduce lodging, and give higher yields.

According to the People's Committee of Cuc Phuong commune, in the 2023-2024 winter-spring crop, the commune plans to plant over 100 hectares of various crops, of which the main crop is corn (more than 80 hectares), the rest are peanuts, taro, cassava, pineapple and various vegetables and beans, and only about 2 hectares of rice. Before Tet, people had planted a part of the corn area. Currently, people continue to focus on planting the remaining areas and are expected to complete it by the end of February.

Down to Van Phuong commune, also one of the highland areas of Nho Quan district, because there is a fairly complete system of canals and irrigation, most of the crops were planted by the people before Tet. In the fields of Tien Phuong 2 village, all kinds of vegetables have grown green. Mr. Dinh Quoc Trieu and his wife quickly fertilized, raised beds, and weeded some corn beds while sharing with us: My wife and I are over 70 years old but still attached to the fields. Currently, machines have replaced most of the steps, so production is much easier than before. My family has 5 sao of fertile land specializing in growing corn, and we finished planting on December 24. This season, the weather is favorable and warm, so it is easy to cultivate, all kinds of crops grow and develop well. Currently, my wife and I are fertilizing, weeding, and raising beds for the plants. If all goes well, each sao of vegetable growing family will have an income of 1-1.2 million VND.

This winter-spring crop, Nho Quan district plans to plant 2,900 hectares of crops, mainly on hills and fields. Including: 880 hectares of corn, 630 hectares of peanuts, 110 hectares of sweet potatoes, 850 hectares of vegetables and other crops, concentrated in highland communes such as Cuc Phuong, Ky Phu, Phu Long, Xich Tho, Gia Lam... According to the district's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, up to now, localities have planted 75% of the area. Currently, the Department regularly assigns staff to closely follow the area, coordinate with localities and related units to urge and guide people to urgently plant all areas according to plan, within the time frame. Areas that were sown and planted before Tet should be plowed, weeded, and fertilized early and balanced, creating favorable conditions for plant growth and development. For some highland areas lacking water, it is necessary to take advantage of planting and caring when it rains. In addition, closely monitor weather developments, regularly check fields to promptly respond to adverse developments caused by weather and pests, ensuring successful production.

Article and photos: Nguyen Luu

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