"Living healthily" from straw

Instead of burning the straw after each harvest, it is now baled and transported for sale, creating a significant additional source of income for farmers while minimizing environmental impact.

Besides generating income, selling bales of straw will help reduce the burning of straw.

In recent years, rice straw, once considered waste, has been used by many farmers for mushroom cultivation, animal feed, and as a cushion for transporting agricultural products to prevent spoilage. High demand and abundant straw have led to the development of straw baling and collection after rice harvests, making it a lucrative and enjoyable activity. This creates jobs for many local laborers while also providing landowners with capital for replanting in the next season.

As a member of a straw harvesting team of 40 people, Nguyen Truong Giang, originally from Tra Vinh province, has been working in Hau Giang for about a month now. The team members' work usually starts from 10 am to around 6 pm each day, moving from one field to another. Busy loading bales of straw onto motorbikes to transport them to the collection point, Giang shared: “If there’s a lot of straw in the field, I can transport 800-900 bales a day. Each trip is 7 bales long distances, 5 bales short distances. Then, during the harvest season, we give the straw back to the locals to feed their cattle.”

According to Mr. Giang, the straw harvested during the winter-spring season is always more abundant and of better quality thanks to favorable weather conditions. To ensure smooth operation, the team members divide tasks efficiently, from baling and carrying to transporting the straw. They move from one field to another, from one province to another. The straw is bundled into neat bales weighing 18-20 kg each, all handled by machinery. Although the work of baling and transporting straw is arduous, the workers earn approximately 700,000 VND or more per day.

Mr. Thach Anh Ut, from Hau Giang province, who is driving a vehicle to collect straw in the fields of Vi Thuy district, shared: “One bale of straw can cover 50 acres of rice fields in a day. With thick straw, there are about 20 bales per acre, and with thinner straw, about 12 bales. If I bale it for someone else and transport it, it's 13,000 VND per bale.”

It is known that in recent years, due to increased demand, straw has become a highly sought-after commodity. On average, each hectare earns an additional 600,000 to 1 million VND from selling fresh straw, reducing the cost of field cleaning. After the straw is baled and transported, the stubble is cut and chopped by machine, preparing it for the new planting season. In cases where the landowner provides the straw for traders to bale themselves, the cost of cutting the stubble is waived.

Besides generating income, selling baled straw will reduce the long-standing practice of burning straw by some farmers. Furthermore, removing old straw from the fields cleans the soil and eliminates pathogens from the previous crop. Agricultural experts estimate that one ton of straw contains approximately 7 kg of nitrogen, 1.2 kg of phosphorus, 20 kg of potassium, 40 kg of silicon, and 400 kg of carbon. Therefore, burning straw is essentially discarding essential fertilizers and nutrients for crops. The baled straw is then transported to the Mekong Delta and other eastern provinces for use in mushroom cultivation, mulching, or animal feed. Some traders say that if there are pre-orders, the baled straw will be delivered the same day or stored in warehouses, or even sold directly in the fields when buyers arrive.

Having started growing straw mushrooms indoors in 2021 and continuing to this day, Ms. Lu Thi Nhat Hang, Director of Ngu Thuong Mekong Co., Ltd. in Phung Hiep district, said that straw is a valuable raw material that can generate income if used correctly. Every season, Ms. Hang buys bales of straw to bring back to her farm. There, the straw is utilized effectively in the production process. Starting with 9 mushroom growing houses, covering an area of about 200m2, Ms. Hang is currently renovating the houses and expanding to grow more mushrooms.

"Traditionally, after each harvest, people burn straw, which greatly impacts the environment. Instead, we use that straw for composting, mushroom cultivation, and then as a substrate for raising earthworms. After harvesting the mushrooms, we compost the straw until it decomposes. I raise earthworms and feed the baled straw to my cows. In general, what I do benefits farmers because they get income from the straw instead of burning it," Ms. Hang shared.

From being considered agricultural waste after each harvest, straw has now transformed, not only generating additional income for farmers but also helping to curb burning that pollutes the environment and significantly reduces methane and greenhouse gas emissions.

Text and photos: MONG TOAN

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