Nghe An farmers earn good income from growing 'giant' gourds

The alluvial plains along the Lam River in Thuan Son Commune are always covered in a lush green color of vegetables, each season has its own variety. In May, the fields here are always filled with the silhouettes of vehicles and people harvesting agricultural products.

bna_bau.-.jpg — Thuan Son Commune maintains more than 200 hectares of vegetables on the alluvial land along the Lam River. Photo: HT

Mr. Duong Phuc Phap's field in Thuan Dong hamlet covers a large area of nearly 17 hectares with all kinds of vegetables, tubers, and fruits. This season, more than 20 workers are focusing on harvesting various types of squash and pumpkin.

Mr. Nguyen Trong Tuan, a worker who has worked on Mr. Phap's fields for many years, said that it is the peak harvest season for the gourd fields. Among them, the honey gourd variety has high value.

Mr. Nguyen Trong Tuan harvests and delivers squash. Photo: HT

This type of gourd weighs 8-10 kg each and always sells well, selling out as soon as it is harvested, with an average price of 6-7 thousand VND/kg. When each gourd reaches maturity, its skin begins to turn yellow and is picked, and sold to traders for an average of 50-70 thousand VND/fruit.

To harvest squash and vegetables on time, during peak season, Mr. Duong Phuc Phap hires about 40 workers to both harvest and deliver goods, mainly to restaurants, schools and markets in Thuan Son commune and neighboring communes.

Farmers in Thuan Son commune harvest honey gourds. Photo: HT

Honey gourd is a new variety that has been cultivated by Thuan Son people. Although it has only been cultivated for a few years, it has shown superior economic efficiency compared to other types of gourds with a yield of about 25 tons/ha. Honey gourd gives two harvests each year.

bna_bau-(1).jpg — In addition to honey gourd, Thuan Son farmers also grow other varieties of gourd such as gourd, peanut gourd, gold coin gourd... Photo: HT

According to people in Thuan Son commune, the seeds of this type of gourd are quite expensive, ranging from 2-3 thousand VND/seed. However, the germination rate is high and the fruit price is stable, mainly purchased by traders at the field and imported for candy and jam production facilities, or imported for restaurants and hotels. Regarding gourd plants, in addition to gourd, people also grow many other types of gourds such as peanut gourd, gold coin gourd...

People in Thuan Dong hamlet harvest squash. Photo: HT

Mr. Nguyen Van Loi - Secretary of the Party Committee of Thuan Son commune said that vegetables are one of the key economic development areas of Thuan Son commune. In which, squash, pumpkin and corn are dominant, providing stable income. Currently, Thuan Son people are maintaining more than 200 hectares of corn. Of which, winter corn is 118 hectares, sweet corn is 32 hectares, yielding about 13.6 tons/ha, earning about 60 million VND/ha. In addition to corn, Thuan Son people also maintain 45 hectares of peanuts and more than 32 hectares of various vegetables such as cucumbers, beans, squash, pumpkins, etc.

Harvesting honey gourds. Clip: HT

Source: https://baonghean.vn/nong-dan-nghe-an-thu-nhap-kha-tu-trong-bau-mat-khong-lo-10296966.html