Farmers in Song Hinh grow cassava using high-tech methods.

Farmers in Song Hinh are growing cassava using a plastic mulch method.

Adapt to nature's will.

Currently, the South Central provinces are entering the dry season, experiencing intense heat with temperatures around 40 degrees Celsius. While some crops are experiencing reduced yields in many areas, cassava farmers in Son Giang commune, Song Hinh district, remain confident in their crop, which is well-suited to the local soil and climate. More importantly, cassava cultivation in Song Hinh has been applying high-tech methods, such as mulching, for several seasons now.

Currently, the local government is focusing on encouraging farmers to grow cassava under plastic mulch combined with drip irrigation. This approach is suitable for the local conditions and also meets the needs and aspirations of cassava farmers. Therefore, the locality will promote and guide farmers to replicate this model, thereby helping farmers alleviate poverty through cassava cultivation.

Mr. Nay Y Set, Chairman of the People's Committee of Song Hinh Commune, Song Hinh District

For example, the family of Mr. Nguyen Phu in Ha Giang village, Son Giang commune - one of the households that boldly converted 5 sao (approximately 0.5 hectares) of traditional cassava cultivation to cassava cultivation under plastic mulch combined with drip irrigation.

According to Mr. Phu, in the initial stages of application, he didn't have to spend much time caring for the plants, saved on irrigation water, and saw a doubling of cassava yield at harvest time. These are the advantages of the cassava cultivation model using plastic sheeting that the people of Ha Giang village are applying.

Also in Ha Giang village, with an area of ​​5 hectares, Phung Xuan Thoi's family previously mainly grew cassava using traditional methods, resulting in low yields due to leaf diseases.

“With guidance from local agricultural officials, I improved the soil and switched to planting cassava using a method of covering the planting beds with plastic sheeting to prevent weeds. This reduced fertilizer runoff, retained soil moisture, prevented the cuttings from rotting during rain, and allowed for easy drainage. As a result, the cassava plants grew and developed well. When harvested, the yield doubled, and the starch content of the cassava tubers was much higher than with the traditional cassava planting method that my family had been using for a long time,” Mr. Thoi shared.

Farmers in Song Hinh are preparing the land for cassava cultivation.

According to some local residents, the cassava cultivation model using plastic mulch has many advantages. Because of the use of perforated plastic sheeting and drainage ditches between the rows, the cassava plants are not waterlogged during rainy weather. Therefore, the plants grow well, are easy to care for, save water, reduce weeding labor, and reduce fertilizer use. Currently, cassava grown under plastic mulch in Song Hinh district yields 45-55 tons/ha, while cassava grown using traditional methods only yields 20-25 tons/ha. After deducting expenses, farmers earn a profit of over 50 million VND/ha.

Disseminate information and provide guidance to replicate the CNC cassava cultivation model.

Mr. Nay Y Set, Chairman of the People's Committee of Song Hinh commune, Song Hinh district, said: Currently, the commune government is focusing on encouraging farmers to grow cassava under plastic mulch combined with drip irrigation. This is a suitable approach for the local conditions and also meets the needs and aspirations of cassava farmers. Therefore, the locality will promote and guide farmers to replicate this model, thereby helping farmers alleviate poverty through cassava cultivation.

In Song Hinh district, cassava cultivation has helped many households escape poverty and is the main source of income for families. Cassava has advantages because it is well-suited to the soil and easy to sell, so farmers choose to cultivate it, gradually forming concentrated production areas, creating a large volume of marketable products, and contributing to improving living standards. Therefore, the cassava cultivation model using plastic mulch is a positive solution that is receiving special attention from localities in Song Hinh district to increase people's income.

Many farmers in Song Hinh district are participating in cassava cultivation using plastic mulch.

According to Mr. Dinh Ngoc Dan, Chairman of the Song Hinh District People's Committee: The District People's Committee has worked with Phu Yen Cassava Starch Joint Stock Company to continue investing in the cassava cultivation model using plastic sheeting in the next season. Specifically, in Hai Rieng town and Song Hinh commune, farmers will learn from the experience, and based on that, plans will be made to expand the model. With high yields and stable purchase prices, cassava cultivation is expected to open up great prospects for people to increase their income and reduce poverty sustainably. Along with expanding the area of ​​cassava cultivation using plastic sheeting, the local government will also consider a plan for handling plastic waste (plastic sheeting) to ensure environmental protection.

In Song Hinh district, there are currently over 100 households applying cassava cultivation using plastic mulch, covering approximately 50 hectares. Specifically for the 2023-2024 winter-spring crop, the district collaborated with Phu Yen Cassava Starch Joint Stock Company to implement a model and provide technical guidance on cassava cultivation using agricultural plastic mulch combined with drip irrigation on an area of ​​5 hectares, with 7 households in Song Hinh, Son Giang communes and Hai Rieng town participating (receiving a subsidy of 20 million VND/ha).

The first cassava harvest in Ky Son was bountiful and the prices were good.

Source: https://baodantoc.vn/nong-dan-song-hinh-trong-san-cong-nghe-cao-1719484224614.htm