This year, Nho Quan district aims to plant 1,200 hectares of winter crops; however, prolonged heavy rains at the beginning of the season have slowed down production progress. To ensure a successful winter crop, the district is directing communes and cooperatives to encourage people to accelerate planting and complete the planned area.
As a locality with a long tradition of winter crop production in Nho Quan district, Yen Quang commune proactively develops a plan for planting summer rice very early each year, using short-day varieties to free up land for winter crops. This year, the commune aims to maintain a winter crop area of 200 hectares, with taro as the main crop accounting for 100 hectares, and the remainder being sweet potatoes, peanuts, beans, cucumbers, potatoes, and various green vegetables.
Mr. Bui Van Phong, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Yen Quang commune, said: "The value of products per hectare of winter crop cultivation reaches about 110 million VND/hectare, many times higher than rice cultivation. Therefore, although in recent years, the winter weather has been continuously unpredictable, causing difficulties for production, people still actively maintain production. This year is no exception; heavy and prolonged rains right at the peak of planting have somewhat affected the production progress, and the area planted with some warm-weather crops has not met the plan. The commune is urging cooperatives to guide people to replace them with cold-weather crops that are still in season, such as potatoes, leafy vegetables, cucumbers, and taro. At the same time, they are taking care of and controlling pests and diseases for the winter crops already planted to ensure high yields and value."
Mr. Nguyen Van Dien, from Yen Son village, Yen Quang commune, shared: "Although winter crop cultivation is hard work, the average income is 7-10 million VND per sao (approximately 1000 square meters), so people encourage each other to overcome difficulties and cultivate all available land. This season, my family planted 9 sao of winter crops, including 2 sao of cabbage that are currently being harvested. Traders come to buy directly from the fields at stable prices. After harvesting this area, I will continue to plant another crop of kohlrabi to meet the demand for green vegetables at the end of the year." Along with Yen Quang commune, farmers in Dong Phong, Lang Phong, Son Lai, Van Phuong, Thach Binh communes, etc., are also actively going to the fields to sow seeds and care for winter crops.
We visited the green squash farm of Mr. Nguyen Huu Hoan's family in Dong Phong commune. While quickly selecting green squashes of marketable size to sell to traders, Mr. Hoan excitedly shared: "Previously, I mainly grew vegetables and melons on this land, but due to unstable prices, I switched to growing green squash in the past few years. The advantages of this crop are that it's easy to grow, easy to care for, cold-tolerant, and resistant to pests and diseases. The fruit is also easy to preserve and transport, and the market is quite favorable. My family earns a profit of about 4-5 million VND per sao (approximately 1000 square meters) of squash."
This winter season, Nho Quan district has identified the development of production towards concentrated, commercial farming. This includes diversifying crops and arranging planting schedules rationally, with staggered planting to reduce labor pressure and facilitate product consumption, aligning with market demand. Priority will be given to developing local advantageous products such as taro, sweet potatoes, sweet corn, peanuts, and various medicinal plants. In addition, emphasis will be placed on applying water-saving irrigation technology, biological products, organic fertilizers, biological pesticides, and new technologies in post-harvest preservation and processing of agricultural products to reduce production costs and improve economic efficiency. The entire district aims to plant 1,200 hectares of various winter crops.
Mr. Bui Van The, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Nho Quan district, said: To date, the entire district has planted over 700 hectares of winter crops, reaching nearly 60% of the plan. To compensate for the unmet area of warm-weather crops, the district is directing communes to mobilize all resources to replace them with cold-weather crops such as potatoes, onions, chili peppers, and various green vegetables… To reassure farmers, the district encourages cooperatives, production groups, and individuals to build a linked chain from production and processing to product consumption.
Text and photos: Nguyen Luu
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