The unhappy sedge crop of the people of Hong Lam "oasis"

Harsh weather caused dozens of hectares of sedge in Hong Lam village, Xuan Giang commune (Nghi Xuan - Ha Tinh) to be sunburned, while the selling price dropped by nearly half compared to last year, causing farmers to suffer losses.

The unhappy sedge incident of the people of

On this occasion, in the sedge field in the "oasis" Hong Lam, dozens of people are busy harvesting.

The unhappy sedge incident of the people of

Quickly wiping away the sweat, Mr. Ho Quoc Y sadly said: " My family grows 5 sao of sedge, currently only 2.5 sao can be harvested, the remaining area is not growing due to the hot weather, the fields are dry. The average annual yield is more than 6 quintals/sao, but this year it is only about 3.5 quintals/sao".

The unhappy sedge incident of the people of

According to people, although they do not lose money on seeds because after cutting, the sedge will continue to grow for the new crop, it is difficult to weed, invest in fertilizer, care, and harvest.

The unhappy sedge incident of the people of

The sedge harvest in Hong Lam village starts from July to September. Due to the hot weather, most people have to go to the fields at 4am. After a few hours of cutting sedge, they carry out many other steps under the hot weather...

The unhappy sedge incident of the people of

The sedge plants are tied into bundles and brought ashore. During the harvest, people have to cover the sedge with straw or water it to prevent it from wilting.

The unhappy sedge incident of the people of

To get a quality finished product, the sedge must be split in half using a rudimentary machine. This is done right in the field while the sedge is still fresh.

The unhappy sedge incident of the people of

After being split, the sedge is dried in the sun until completely dry before being sold. The sedge here is mainly sold to dealers in Thanh Hoa province to make mats.

The unhappy sedge incident of the people of

"This year's sedge crop has both failed and fallen in price, which makes us very sad. At this time last year, sedge was sold for 1.2 million VND/quintal, but now traders only buy it for 650 - 700 thousand VND/quintal. Meanwhile, the high price of fertilizer has greatly affected our people's income," said Mr. Dau Xuan Chinh.

The unhappy sedge incident of the people of

It is known that the whole Hong Lam village has 45 hectares of sedge with 110 households participating. So far, people have harvested about 10 hectares. In addition to growing peanuts, sedge has become the main source of income for the elderly workers who are still living in the "oasis".

Every year, sedge brings an average income of 40 - 45 million VND to the producing households. This year, the harsh weather has caused half of the village's sedge growing area to be sunburned and contaminated with salt, making it impossible to harvest. In addition, the consumption market is heavily dependent on traders, so prices are still "unstable", affecting the income of the people...
Mr. Nguyen The Luc - Head of Hong Lam village

Huu Trung

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