Busy preparing crops to supply the Tet market.

As the year draws to a close, and a bustling atmosphere begins to spread throughout the countryside, the agricultural production areas in the province also enter their busiest period of the year. On lush green vegetable fields, on trellises of flowering bitter melons and squash, or in greenhouses growing cantaloupes and high-tech vegetables, farmers and businesses are racing against time, tending to each crop to ensure timely supply for the Tet (Lunar New Year) market.

Báo Long An•16/12/2025

Busy preparing for the season.

The Lunar New Year is a time when demand for vegetables and fruits increases sharply, leading to higher requirements for quality, appearance, and food safety. Recognizing this, for many months prior, households, cooperatives, and businesses in the province have proactively developed production plans, adjusted planting schedules, and promoted the application of advanced technologies and consumption linkages to enhance the value of agricultural products and stabilize income for growers.

In vegetable-growing regions, from early morning to late afternoon, the atmosphere is bustling with activity. Rows of cabbage, lettuce, scallions, water spinach, and other vegetables are meticulously cared for; interspersed are fields of bitter melon and winter squash that are in the flowering and fruiting stages. Farmers carefully plan each step, as even a few days' delay can affect the quality and price of the produce during the Tet holiday.

Farmers are tending to their crops, preparing supplies for the Tet holiday market.

As a member of the Vietnam Safe Vegetable Cooperative (Rach Kien commune), Mr. Nguyen Van Hiep said that to serve the Tet market, the cooperative had developed a production plan right from the beginning of the season. “Vegetables for Tet must be both beautiful and safe. The cooperative organizes its members to plant in batches, spacing out the harvest time to ensure a continuous supply of products and avoid oversupply,” Mr. Hiep shared.

According to Mr. Hiep, this year the weather has been unpredictable, with scattered unseasonal rains, making outdoor vegetable production difficult. However, thanks to adhering to production procedures and using organic fertilizers and biological pesticides, the vegetable fields are still developing well, with few pests and diseases, ensuring quality for the Tet market.

Along with leafy vegetables, short-term fruit crops like bitter melon and winter squash are also carefully cultivated by farmers. These are familiar items on the Tet holiday dinner table, especially bitter melon – a fruit symbolizing "bitter melon, happiness," so its consumption is always stable. Mr. Nguyen Van Dam, a bitter melon grower in Tan Tru commune, said that this year his family planted about 10 days earlier than usual to be ready for Tet sales.

"Growing bitter melon for Tet (Lunar New Year) is more difficult than usual. You have to constantly monitor the fields, from fertilizing and watering to pest and disease control. If you time it right and the fruit is beautiful, the selling price will be higher than usual," Mr. Dam said.

Farmers in Ben Cau commune are cultivating winter squash using safe farming practices to improve the quality of agricultural products for the Lunar New Year.

In Ben Cau commune, many farmers are busy tending to their bitter melon and winter squash fields. Mr. Nguyen An Nhan, who has many years of experience growing vegetables, said that his family intercrops these two types of plants to reduce risks. "If the price of bitter melon drops, the winter squash will compensate. I focus on producing uniform fruits and limiting the use of chemical pesticides so that they are easier to sell and fetch a better price during Tet," Mr. Nhan shared.

According to Nguyen Thai Binh , Chairman of the Ben Cau Commune Farmers' Association, the association is actively encouraging farmers to participate in cooperatives and associations, and to link with businesses for sustainable production and consumption of crops. "Individual production is very risky, especially during Tet (Lunar New Year). When farmers cooperate, they receive technical support, market information, and more stable outlets," Mr. Binh emphasized.

Improving quality, focusing on food safety.

Beyond simply increasing production, many cooperatives and businesses in the province are focusing on food safety. Accordingly, these units are gradually shifting towards producing safe agricultural products, applying high technology, and meeting the increasingly stringent requirements of the Tet holiday market.

At the Vietnam Safe Vegetable Cooperative, members are organized to produce according to a unified process, from land preparation and planting to care and harvesting. According to Nguyen Thi Lan, Director of the Vietnam Safe Vegetable Cooperative, Tet (Lunar New Year) is a peak consumption period, but it is also a time when consumers pay special attention to the origin and quality of agricultural products.

“The cooperative requires its members to keep complete production logs and strictly adhere to pesticide withdrawal periods. As a result, the cooperative's vegetables not only sell well in traditional markets but are also trusted by small traders, kitchens, and some safe food stores for Tet (Lunar New Year),” said Ms. Lan.

Vegetables grown in greenhouses at ManiFood Company (My Loc commune) ensure safety and provide a stable supply for the Tet market.

Alongside the cooperative model, high-tech agricultural enterprises are also contributing to enriching the supply of clean vegetables for the Tet market. In My Loc commune, ManiFood Company is focusing on producing vegetables in greenhouses and net houses using modern methods. Thanks to good control of temperature, humidity, and nutrients, vegetables grown in greenhouses grow uniformly, have fewer pests and diseases, and ensure food safety.

According to Nguyen Ngoc Dong Ho, a technical staff member at ManiFood Company, the company has proactively increased production and tightened quality control procedures to serve the Tet holiday market. “Tet vegetables not only need to be fresh and beautiful but also absolutely safe. We focus on leafy vegetables that are popular in the market, supplying them to our chain of stores and partners for stable consumption,” Mr. Ho shared.

Besides traditional vegetables, Thuan My Agricultural Cooperative (Thuan My commune) is effectively developing a model of growing cantaloupe in greenhouses, serving consumer demand and as Tet (Lunar New Year) gifts. With a closed production process, the cantaloupe produces beautiful, uniform fruits with high sweetness, bringing superior economic value compared to traditional farming.

According to Nguyen Hong Quang, director of Thuan My Agricultural Cooperative: “Tet melons are usually ordered early by customers. We have to carefully monitor the harvesting schedule to ensure the melons are of the best quality right in time for Tet. Although the investment costs are high, the stable market and high selling prices help cooperative members feel secure in their production.”

The high-tech cantaloupe farming model of Thuan My Agricultural Cooperative (Thuan My commune) brings high economic value and is often chosen as a Tet gift.

With Tet (Lunar New Year) fast approaching, the pace of work continues tirelessly in every vegetable field, on trellises of bitter melon and squash, or in greenhouses growing cantaloupe and other clean vegetables. According to Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, Dinh Thi Phuong Khanh, the crop season for the Tet market is of significant importance not only economically but also directly related to food safety.

Therefore, the Department recommends that people, cooperatives, and businesses continue to strictly adhere to safe production processes, especially during the pre-harvest period. In addition, farmers need to proactively monitor weather conditions, pests, and diseases closely to take timely preventive measures, prioritizing the use of biological products and minimizing the overuse of chemical pesticides.

In particular, the agricultural sector encourages farmers to strengthen linkages through cooperatives and associations, connecting production with consumption and product traceability. Close connections with businesses and distribution systems will help ensure a more stable market for Tay Ninh's agricultural products during Tet (Lunar New Year) and other peak consumption periods throughout the year.

With the proactive efforts of producers, the support of cooperatives and businesses, and timely guidance from relevant agencies, Tay Ninh's agricultural products are expected not only to meet the demands of the Tet market but also to gradually build a safe, modern, and sustainable agricultural production system, enhancing the value of agricultural products and increasing farmers' income.

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