Growing chives, a tiny spice with twice the potassium content of jicama, Ha Tinh people sell it like hotcakes

Poor sandy soil is a disadvantage, growing chives is an advantage

Thien Loc Commune (Can Loc District, Ha Tinh Province) has a large area of ​​infertile sandy soil, and has difficulty with irrigation water, so in the past farmers used to grow dry rice and many other crops, but it was very unstable and had low value.

However, this disadvantage is an advantage for Thien Loc to develop a crop that has become a trademark of this commune, which is chives. Currently, Thien Loc has the largest chive growing area in Can Loc district.

Shallots were introduced into experimental cultivation in Thien Loc commune in 2014. Right from the first crops, sandy soil, which previously did not bring significant income, now gives farmers an average income of more than 200 million VND/ha thanks to shallots.

The economic efficiency of this root spice plant is beyond expectations, so many households have expanded their acreage.

The sandy, barren fields with difficulty in irrigation in Thien Loc commune (Can Loc district) are used by farmers to grow chives - a spice plant grown for its tubers.

Farmers in Thien Loc commune have earned tens, even hundreds of millions of VND/ha thanks to chives.

With the experience of growing chives as "growing in July and harvesting in March", up to this point, the whole Thien Loc commune has 9/10 villages focusing on growing chives with an area of ​​over 130 hectares.

After 10 years in Thien Loc, chives have become the main crop and increasingly asserted their economic efficiency on local land.

Mr. Vo Truong in Hoa Thinh village (Thien Loc commune, Can Loc district, Ha Tinh province), an old farmer who has grown shallots for many years, shared: Previously, his family mainly grew dry rice and other crops, but due to high land and lack of water resources, rice cultivation was ineffective and yield was very low.

After the commune tested growing chives and found the soil suitable, he decided to switch to growing chives. According to Mr. Truong, each sao of chives (500m2) yields 3-4 quintals, earning about 15-20 million VND, 3 times higher than growing rice before.

Ms. Vo Thi Khanh in Hong Tan village (Thien Loc commune) grows 7 sao of chives, bringing her family an income of more than 100 million VND each year.

Ms. Khanh said that compared to growing other crops, growing chives brings much higher economic efficiency.

"The sandy soil here makes it difficult to grow rice and many other crops, but it is very suitable for growing chives. Growing chives is not too expensive, but harvesting takes a lot of time and effort, requiring patience and hard work. However, in return, the price of chives is always high and stable, so we are very excited," said Ms. Khanh.

Shallots can be used for both leaves and bulbs as spices, so farmers can choose from many cultivation methods.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Canh, Vice Chairman of Thien Loc Commune People's Committee said: Implementing the agricultural restructuring project, recently, Thien Loc commune has mobilized people to continue converting some areas of ineffective vegetable crops to grow shallots.

Along with that, with the goal of making chives a key product in agricultural development, the commune government is orienting to build a chives brand that meets OCOP standards in the coming time.

In addition, in order to introduce and promote organically produced onion products, Thien Loc commune has connected with domestic and foreign consumption markets to help farmers expand their markets and increase their income.

Income several times higher than rice cultivationIn the past, most of the land area of ​​Con De in Dong Hue and Lang Lau villages in Vuong Loc commune (Can Loc, Ha Tinh) was abandoned and full of weeds. Every year, people grow rice, but because the land is high, the water source is difficult to irrigate and the weather is not very favorable for rice cultivation, most people produce according to the "maybe or not" method, some households have left it fallow.

Through research, it was found that chives adapt very well to local soil conditions, so many households have boldly switched to growing this plant.

Thanks to growing onions according to technical requirements and organic production, onions produce many large, bright bulbs with high productivity, thereby bringing stable income to people.

Harvesting shallots requires meticulousness and effort, but in return farmers have a fairly high income.

Don't worry about product output because the consumer market is very open. Focusing on harvesting the last rows of onions in the season to deliver to traders, Mr. Ton Duc Thanh in Lang Lau village, Vuong Loc commune said: Previously, his family mainly grew dry rice and sweet potatoes, but the yield was very unstable.

Seeing that chives can withstand drought, are suitable for sandy soil, can be grown in rice fields without water, and have a growing period of about 4 - 5 months, while the investment capital is low, his family switched to growing 5 sao of chives.

After many years of attachment to this crop and seeing high economic efficiency, in 2024 his family continued to expand by 2-3 more sao.

"Growing chives brings in several times more income than growing rice and peanuts," said Mr. Ton Duc Quy in Dong Hue village, Vuong Loc commune.

Mr. Quy said: "Shallots are easy to grow, have few pests and diseases, are suitable for local soil and bring high economic value, so they have become a commodity product that brings quite high income to people. Shallots are harvested and purchased by traders, so people are very assured about the output of the product."

Not far away, Mrs. Tran Thi Hanh and her husband in Lang Lau village are also actively harvesting shallots. Mrs. Hanh said: “Previously, people in Lang Lau village grew rice or other vegetables but the economic efficiency was very low.

In the past ten years, when there was a policy to change the crop structure, people switched to growing chives. In recent years, chives have changed people's lives. Each sao of chives yields 4-5 quintals, bringing in income from tens to hundreds of millions of dong."

Shallots are a healthy spice that is easy to sell and has a high and stable price.

Shallots can be used for both leaves and bulbs as spices, so farmers can choose many ways to cultivate them.

Some households choose to sow seeds densely until around July or August to start harvesting fresh onions for sale; others choose to plant in sparse clumps from the beginning to harvest concentratedly at the end of the season. Some households choose to sow seeds densely until around November or December to start harvesting fresh onions for sale.

Trimming some fresh onions to sell just enough for daily income, the rest is for bulbs because selling bulbs gives higher income. The selling price of onions depends on the season, fluctuating from 60 - 120 thousand VND/kg, sometimes chives can reach 200 thousand VND/kg.

According to the experience of households that have grown shallots for many years, shallots are planted in rows, using straw and rice husks to create loose soil.

In particular, using pine needles to cover the beds helps reduce costs, resist hot and cold weather, support young plants to grow well, avoid harmful insects and pests, and is a source of organic nutrients for onion plants to grow well, ensuring safe and quality products.

In addition, during the growth of shallots, people also have to regularly monitor the weather to choose care methods based on accumulated experience.

According to Mr. Dao Sy Duong, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Vuong Loc commune (Can Loc district, Ha Tinh province): The whole commune currently has more than 50 hectares of shallots.

Implementing the roadmap to turn chives into a key vegetable product in the local economic development, the People's Committee of Vuong Loc commune is focusing on finding consumption markets, contributing to increasing income for farmers. At the same time, building a brand to increase productivity and value for chives.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Can Loc district (Ha Tinh province): In 2023, the district's shallot growing area will reach 258 hectares, with a yield of 70.48 quintals/ha and an output of 1,820 tons, mainly concentrated in the communes of Thien Loc, Vuong Loc and Thuan Thien. Can Loc is the locality with the largest shallot growing area in Ha Tinh province. In recent times, shallots have contributed to improving people's income and living standards.

Can Loc district is focusing on encouraging the conversion of ineffective production land areas to grow shallots suitable to the local soil; at the same time, building the geographical indication "Thien Loc" for Can Loc shallot products, making shallots a key vegetable product in agricultural development, contributing to the successful implementation of the agricultural restructuring project of Ha Tinh province.

Shallots are a healthy spice and rich in trace minerals. 100mg of shallots contain 296mg of potassium, the potassium content in 100mg of shallots is almost twice as high as the potassium content in 100mg of jicama.

"Shallot, White onion, Shallot, Shallot is a species of plant in the onion family. It is native to Europe, Asia, and North America. It is the only onion species present in both the Old World and the New World. It is used as a spice and in traditional Chinese medicine as a medicine. It is also used to control plant pests". According to Wikipedia.

Source: https://danviet.vn/trong-hanh-tam-moc-cu-gia-vi-be-tin-hin-ham-luong-kali-gap-doi-cu-dau-dan-ha-tinh-ban-hut-hang-20240820101847515.htm