Making a living... on the top of a pepper plant.

Currently, farmers in the province are focusing on harvesting the 2025 pepper crop. To meet deadlines, pepper growers have to hire a large number of laborers for harvesting, creating opportunities for many freelance workers to earn extra income.

These days, the pepper garden of Mr. Mai Xuan Hung's family (Ea Bhok commune, Cu Kuin district) is always bustling with laughter and conversation. Entering this year's harvest season, in addition to family members, Mr. Hung had to hire 8 more workers from neighboring districts such as Krong Ana, Lak, and Krong Bong… to ensure the work progresses on schedule. With an area of 1 hectare, each pepper harvest season requires his family to hire about 80 laborers. "Currently, my family is hiring pepper pickers at a rate of 280,000 VND/day. Besides that, we also provide supplementary meals and travel expenses for workers from far away," Mr. Hung shared.

Most of the time, pepper pickers have to stand on ladders to harvest the peppers.

As usual, every year in February and March, Mr. Hoang Van Vang (Cu Jut district, Dak Nong province) packs his bags and sets off with his friends to work as pepper pickers for plantation owners in Dak Lak . According to Mr. Vang, pepper prices have increased this year, but yields have decreased, making the harvesting work more arduous. Unlike previous years, this year he is accepting contracts to pick entire plantations, at a price of 4,000 VND/kg of fresh pepper (500 VND/kg higher than last year). Every day, he starts work at 7 am and finishes at 5 pm, only taking a 30-minute break at noon. "Every day, I pick about 100 kg of fresh pepper, earning nearly 400,000 VND. This is really a fairly high income for a worker like me," Mr. Vang confided.

Working tirelessly under the scorching sun of the dry season, Mrs. H'Ply Bkrong (Ea Bhok commune, Cu Kuin district) is diligently picking clusters of ripe red peppers. Mrs. H'Ply explains that compared to harvesting other agricultural products, pepper harvesting requires skill and carefulness, as pepper plants are usually grown on living tree supports such as acacia and eucalyptus, at a height of 5-7 meters. Each support takes about 30-45 minutes to harvest (depending on yield), and she spends most of that time standing on a ladder to pick. The pepper harvesting season lasts for more than a month, during which time she has almost no days off. After each pepper harvest season, she can earn about 20 million VND to support her life.

The job of picking peppers for hire provides a relatively high income for many workers.

With over 10 years of experience as a hired pepper picker, Ms. Nguyen Thi Huynh (Hoa Thanh commune, Krong Bong district) shared that harvesting pepper is not only arduous due to the intense heat but also poses many dangers. Throughout the harvesting process, pickers face risks such as strong winds and ladders falling over, as well as attacks from insects like snakes, centipedes, ants, and bees. To avoid unexpected accidents, pepper pickers need to pay attention to the wind direction, position the ladder correctly and ensure it is balanced, and check each rung to ensure it doesn't break. Especially in areas with steep terrain or soft ground, careful adjustment of the ladder is necessary before climbing to higher levels.

For many, pepper harvesting is considered a "job" during the off-season. Although not overly strenuous, this work carries many risks and a high potential for workplace accidents. Despite facing danger and hardship, this profession provides a more stable income than other agricultural jobs, so many laborers persevere to make a living.

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