Hoang Mai farmers harvest carrots early

The vast green carrot fields of Quynh Lien commune are grown according to VietGap standards. Photo: Thanh Thuy

Taking advantage of the sunshine, Ms. Ho Thi Lien's family in Dai Dong village, Quynh Lien commune went to the field to harvest carrots for export to Da Nang. Carrots are grown on loose sandy soil, so the roots are large and even, without worms or crookedness, and can be pulled up in clusters with just a light lift of the hand.

Ms. Lien said that her family has 20 sao of land, of which 10 sao are used to grow carrots of variety 108; the yield is 1.5 tons/sao.

The off-season carrot field of Ms. Ho Thi Lien's family has begun to yield harvest. Photo: Thanh Thuy

According to Ms. Lien, the selling price of carrots varies between fields depending on the traders' assessment of the plant's growth and development and the quality of the roots. Her family is luckier than many households because the carrots are not affected by the weather, the appearance, quality, and uniformity of the roots are guaranteed, so they can sell for a high price, from 8,500-9,000 VND/kg.

At the fields of Ms. Nguyen Thi Lien's family, Lien Hai village, Quynh Lien commune, the harvest atmosphere is also very bustling and crowded. With 30 sao of land, her family grows carrots in alternating seasons, 45 days apart to avoid risks when encountering situations of oversupply or natural disasters. The earliest planted carrots have begun to be harvested, each one is golden yellow and large. Grade 1 carrots are sold to markets throughout the provinces and exported. Grade 2 carrots are sold to the market, and grade 3, which are smaller and more crooked, are sold to deer and rabbit breeders.

Carrots grown on loose sandy soil have large, evenly colored roots. Photo: Thanh Thuy

Ms. Lien said that carrots are easy to care for and have few pests, so farmers mainly use biofertilizers. After deducting the investment cost of about 4 million VND/sao, each sao of carrots brings in an income of about 8 million VND. Currently, the main crop of carrots has been planted for 2 months and will be harvested during Tet. At the same time, she also reserved more than 5 sao of land and started planting late crops, expected to be harvested in March next year. At harvest time, the family has to hire workers to keep up with the season with a salary of 300,000 VND/person/day.

Carrot leaves are used as animal feed for deer and rabbits. Photo: Thanh Thuy

Quynh Lien commune has a total vegetable growing area of ​​370 hectares, including 100 hectares of carrots. In recent years, this type of plant has been favored by domestic and foreign markets. Traders place orders to purchase directly from the fields, which is convenient for output, so people feel secure in production. The process of growing clean carrots is not difficult for people, especially in loose sandy soil after being cleared of weeds, harrowed carefully, then leveled, then raised, fertilized, fertilized, and sown. Carrots are planted from August to early February of the following year; the growing period is from 100-130 days.

Farmers in Quynh Lien commune are busy harvesting carrots in the fields. Photo: Thanh Thuy

Mr. Hoang Ngoc Anh - Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Quynh Lien commune said: Quynh Lien commune has developed 2 vegetable products that meet 3-star OCOP standards, which are chayote and carrots, and at the same time opened training courses on safe vegetable production. People follow the production process according to VietGAP standards, do not use chemicals but use microbial fertilizers, so the products are very popular in the market. Quynh Lien's carrot output is mainly purchased and transported to companies, businesses, and traders in the commune for preliminary processing, preservation and processing for consumption in many provinces and cities across the country."

With an off-season yield of 1.5-2 tons/sao, and a main-season yield of 2-2.5 tons/sao, 1 hectare of carrots yields an average of over 40 tons of tubers, with a selling price of 9,000 VND/kg, it will reach about 360 million VND/ha. Currently, carrots are the highest value crop in the coastal sandy land of Nghe An.

Source: https://baonghean.vn/nong-dan-hoang-mai-vao-vu-thu-hoach-ca-rot-som-post282340.html