The tobacco harvest season for 'royal' tobacco.

Many tobacco fields in Tan Minh commune are in the harvesting season.

Bustling activity as tobacco is harvested in the fields of Lien Hao village.

Bustling activity in the tobacco fields.

The May sun was scorching, sweat pouring down their backs, but in the fields of the villages of Tuan Tien, Thanh Tri, Lien Hao, Nam Tu 1-2, Tinh Lac… farmers were still busy harvesting tobacco.

After more than 5 months of planting tobacco seedlings, when the summer sun comes out, the tobacco fields begin to be harvested.

Local people are concentrating their workforce these days to take advantage of the sunniest weather to harvest tobacco, because that's when the tobacco is fragrant, delicious, and can be preserved for a long time...

After harvesting the tobacco in the fields, the villagers transport it home using modified carts.

In the fields of Thanh Tri village, groups of people lined up to harvest tobacco, then loaded it onto modified carts and pulled it back home. To harvest quickly and efficiently, each family couldn't harvest their own produce alone and usually hired 15-20 villagers to help with the work, exchanging labor to finish on time.

Mr. Tran Dang Thua from Thanh Tri village happily reported that this year's spring crop has been successful for the villagers since planting. Therefore, the quality of the pesticides this year is quite stable, and the yield is comparable to last year.

In particular, some families who have just harvested their first batch of tobacco have already received offers from traders for the average quality at nearly 500,000 VND/kg, and the high-quality kind at nearly 1 million VND/kg. This year, Mr. Thua's family planted 5 sao (approximately 0.5 hectares), and they expect to harvest more than 200 kg of tobacco...

Farmers are delighted with the abundant and well-priced tobacco harvest.

Meanwhile, in the fields of Lien Hao village, villagers spread out to help each other harvest their crops in time for the season. Mr. Nguyen Dinh Kien from Lien Hao village said that from early morning until late evening, the fields are bustling with activity. Despite the intense sun and hard work, everyone is tired, but they still chat lively in the fields.

A product fit for a king.

Currently, there are still some areas in the country with a tradition of growing tobacco, but only the land in front of the temple in Nam Tu village, formerly Kien Thiet commune (now Tan Minh commune), produces top-quality tobacco. This is because in the past, this area produced tobacco offered to the emperor, and today, the soil here also produces high-quality tobacco that sells for millions of dong.

In particular, traders from various regions flock to this area to hunt for the royal tobacco to sell throughout the country. Because the tobacco sells at a good price, many families, even those with only elderly grandparents and no children working in factories, still enthusiastically cultivate it.

After harvesting from the fields, farmers have to perform many other tasks, such as cutting tobacco using machines.

After the bustling harvesting process in the fields, the people of Tan Minh still have many other arduous steps to complete before they can sell their products at high prices, thanks to their many unique secrets.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Tham from Thanh Tri village, tobacco from the former Kien Thiet commune, now Tan Minh commune, always has a distinctive aroma because farmers always smoke it with sticky rice straw after harvesting before drying it.

When drying, it must be done in the sun for five days, turned over twice, and then wait until the south wind blows before putting it into the jar. It must not be dried during the southwest wind, as this will make the tobacco brittle. Even the slicing and rolling of the tobacco requires experience and dedication to the land where the royal tobacco is grown… only then can a batch of good tobacco be produced.

The people of Tan Minh commune have experience in processing tobacco.

In the book Đồng Khánh Dư Địa Chí Lược, it is recorded: tobacco An Tu Ha is considered one of the finest medicines, often offered to the emperor. The village of An Tu Ha belonged to the Han Nam commune, Tan Minh district, Nam Sach prefecture, Hai Duong province (now Nam Tu village, Tan Minh commune).

According to the elderly people in Tan Minh commune, the tobacco offered to the king is a special kind that is grown exclusively in a field called the Temple field in An Tu Ha village.

The tobacco plants here have small, thick leaves and very low yields, but they are very meticulously cultivated. They are pruned every two days, and young leaves and buds must be removed so the plant can concentrate nutrients on a few leaves. When harvesting, the tobacco must be placed on top, and straw burned underneath to create a smoky, characteristic aroma…

Right from the drying stage, people always pay attention to ensure they get a batch of good quality tobacco that can be sold at a good price.

The tobacco produced in Tan Minh commune today has a special flavor, a combination of natural factors such as soil and climate suitable for tobacco plant growth and development.

Carefully selected plant varieties, cultivation processes, and processing techniques have created a long-standing reputation for consumer preference.

The Intellectual Property Office has granted a geographical indication registration certificate for tobacco from the former Tien Lang district, primarily covering the tobacco growing area of ​​present-day Tan Minh commune, with an area of ​​up to 430 hectares.

According to the Economic Department of Tan Minh commune, every year, the department coordinates with the functional agencies of the Department of Agriculture and Environment to disseminate information and guide farmers on planting crops according to the correct seasonal schedule, proactively caring for crops and controlling pests and diseases.

HO HUONG

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/mua-thu-hoach-thuoc-lao-tien-vua-543103.html