Farmers are excited because onions are selling well.

If the market price of onions continues to stabilize at 20,000 VND/kg, as it did in August 2023, and the onion yield reaches 20 tons/ha, after deducting costs, onion farmers will earn a profit of 300 million VND/ha. That is the affirmation of Ms. Nguyen Thi Chin - Dan Tri village, Thuan Hoa commune, Ham Thuan Bac district.

Ms. Chin shared: For more than 2 years, the family has been growing hybrid onions on 5 sao of fertile land next to the Khan River. Each year, there are 2 crops: one in the rainy season and one in the dry season. The 5 sao of land is divided into 2-3 planting periods, with about 2 sao/period, each period is 10-20 days apart. With this form of rolling production, we can take advantage of family labor, from planting, caring to harvesting without having to hire more workers, reducing costs, and reducing production risks when the weather is unfavorable, as well as when the harvest occurs when the market price of onions drops. Each harvest, onions yield from 1.5 tons/sao - 2 tons/sao (1,000m2); if the price of commercial onions on the market is good, we will sell them all, but if the price of onions drops sharply, we will keep them for seeds. Each sao of land needs about 150 kg of onion seeds to grow, with a price of about 7 million VND, depending on the market price at each time. Therefore, if the commercial onions are not sold, the onion seeds are also profitable. In addition, with the circular production, self-creating the source of seeds on the spot, ensuring quality, the family will proactively implement the planting schedule, improving production efficiency.

Hybrid onions, from planting to harvest, have a growing period of 40 - 45 days. During intensive cultivation and care, onions need a lot of water to grow, but only need enough moisture, absolutely do not let too much water stagnate on each onion bed, because stagnant water will cause root rot. This is the factor that makes it difficult for many farmers to specialize in growing onions during the rainy season for areas of land with poor drainage. In addition, the soil for growing onions needs to be nutritious, loose and have good drainage. Before planting, it is necessary to fertilize with ash, rice husks, then fertilize by mixing fertilizer into irrigation water in 3 stages. Based on the fertility of the soil as well as monitoring the growth of onions at each growth stage, increase or decrease the amount of fertilizer needed appropriately. At the same time, stop fertilizing 7 - 10 days before harvest. Thanks to mastering the above factors, and implementing the onion cultivation process and techniques well, over the past 2 years, Ms. Chin's family has always achieved a yield of 1.5 - 2 tons/sao (1,000m2) of onion production. Ms. Chin shared more.

With a price of 20,000 VND/kg; onion yield of 2 tons/sao, with an output of 10 tons, calculated as 5 sao of main crop in the rainy season, Ms. Chin's family earned 200 million VND, minus total expenses, the profit was 150 million VND. But thanks to self-producing onion seeds, the profit is much higher. According to Ms. Chin, the current high price of onions is due to low supply; maybe because it has rained a lot recently, the roots of the onions have rotted and many have died. Main crop of the rainy season, usually has high yield but is only suitable for well-drained land. Off-season onion yield is often lower than the main crop, but because many people produce, supply exceeds demand, so the price is often lower.

Ms. Le Thi Hoa - Chairman of the People's Committee of Thuan Hoa Commune, Ham Thuan Bac District said: The whole commune has about 50 households specializing in growing green vegetables with an area of 35 hectares. Onions are being interested by many farmers and put into production. Therefore, in the coming time, the People's Committee of the commune will strengthen coordination with functional agencies to organize training courses on onion growing techniques for farmers to help them promote the effectiveness of this crop, increasing family income.

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