Gia Loc farmers turn squash, luffa... into commercial crops

Because squash can be harvested for a long time, farmers in Gia Loc district prefer to grow this plant.

High efficiency

Mr. Nguyen Quang Huy's family in Bai Thuong village, Toan Thang commune (Gia Loc) grows 1.5 hectares of squash. All fields are in their third harvest. Every morning, Mr. Huy and his wife go to the fields to harvest squash, pack them in boxes and sell them to traders.

At first, Huy's family sold for 20,000 - 25,000 VND/kg, now from 10,000 - 15,000 VND/kg, depending on the type. "These squash fields can be harvested 3 - 5 times before having to plant a new crop. Each sao of squash, after deducting expenses, earns a profit of 5 - 8 million VND," Huy calculated.

The reason Mr. Huy grows a lot of squash is because the market is favorable. "The squash we grow is fragrant squash, which is very fragrant. We sell all the squash as soon as it is harvested, even though the selling price is not high, people have never lost money," Mr. Huy shared.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Huy's family in Bai Thuong village, Toan Thang commune (Gia Loc) grows 1.5 hectares of squash, harvesting 5-8 crops in one planting.

In recent years, Gia Loc farmers have expanded the area of ​​squash cultivation. This year, Ms. Hoang Thi Dai’s family in Chuoi village (Le Loi) also converted more than 1 sao of vegetable cultivation to squash cultivation. According to Ms. Dai, squash is easy to grow, simple to care for, and easier to harvest than other vegetables.

Due to old age and limited health, Ms. Hoang Thi Dai in Chuoi village (Le Loi) chose to grow squash because it does not require much care.

Along with growing squash, Gia Loc farmers also grow gourds, pumpkins, etc. Ms. Do Thi Sang in Quang Bi village (Pham Tran commune) said that her family grows squash and gourds on the same plot to increase economic efficiency. When the squash has not been harvested, the gourds already have fruit to sell and vice versa. Growing like this also takes advantage of the trellis for the plants to climb.

Along with growing squash, Ms. Do Thi Sang in Quang Bi village (Pham Tran commune) also grows gourds.

Commodity tree

Gourds, squash, and pumpkins are vegetables and fruits that people use a lot in their daily meals, especially in the summer. In the countryside, almost every family grows 1-2 clumps of squash and pumpkins on the banks of the pond to create shade and harvest fruit. Because they are easy to grow and have delicious fruit, since 2019, squash, squash, and pumpkins have been developed by Gia Loc people into commercial crops, grown on a large scale. On average, Gia Loc farmers grow 220-230 hectares each year, accounting for 18-20% of the district's summer vegetable area, making it the district with the largest area for growing this type of crop in the province.

Although it is the beginning of the season, every day Ms. Nguyen Thi Sinh's family (Pham Tran commune) buys 4 - 5 tons of squash and pumpkin.

Farmers' production and cultivation activities are favorable when traders come to the fields to buy squash, gourds, and pumpkins from farmers. Every day, Ms. Nguyen Thi Sinh (Pham Tran commune) buys 4-5 tons of squash and pumpkins from farmers and then sells them wholesale to traders in and outside the province. "Many people like to buy squash and pumpkins from Gia Loc because the fruits are small, sweet, and very fragrant, unlike some varieties from other places," Ms. Sinh said.

The clusters of squash laden with fruit promise to bring high yields to Gia Loc farmers.

Ms. Tang Thi Hanh, Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Gia Loc district, said that compared to other crops, squash, gourd, and pumpkin bring relatively high income. For households with a lot of experience, they can extend the harvest time of squash and gourd to 9 months, earning a profit of 20 million VND/sao. During this time, farmers only need to take care of fertilization, prevent pests and diseases, and do not spend on planting or seeds.

With the effectiveness of squash, gourd, and pumpkin, in the coming time, Gia Loc farmers will further expand the area of ​​these plants and at the same time aim to build them into OCOP products to further increase their value.

THANH HA

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/nong-dan-gia-loc-bien-bau-muop-thanh-cay-hang-hoa-409894.html