Onion and garlic capital is in season.

The former Kinh Mon town area is known as the "capital" of onions and garlic in Northern Vietnam due to its large planting area, high yield, and quality. At this time, farmers here are busily preparing for the winter crop.

Taking advantage of the dry weather, farmers in Bac An Phu ward are heading to the fields to prepare the soil and sow seeds for the new onion and garlic crop.

Hurry up and get to the fields!

The area of ​​the former Kinh Mon town, now comprising Kinh Mon, Nguyen Dai Nang, Tran Lieu, Bac An Phu, Nhi Chieu, Pham Su Manh wards and Nam An Phu commune, is known as the "capital" of onions and garlic in Northern Vietnam.

In late October, taking advantage of favorable weather, people in the wards and communes are busily heading to the fields to prepare the land for the new planting season. In the fields of Nam An Phu commune, from early morning, the area resembles a bustling construction site. Everyone is working enthusiastically. Farmers are busy gathering straw and carefully bundling it on the banks to make way for machinery to prepare the land. Once the soil is loosened, they quickly prepare the ridges in time for planting the winter crop.

At 6 a.m., Mr. Bui Duc Dinh (from Nam An Phu commune) was out in the fields. His hands moved swiftly with a hoe, tilling the soil and making furrows. This year, Mr. Dinh's family planted nearly an acre of onions. He jokingly but truthfully said that farmers in this area consider onions and garlic as "ATM trees," because each onion harvest brings his family a profit of hundreds of millions of dong. Mr. Pham Van Ro, whose field is nearby, added: "Because it's a crop that makes you rich, every family here grows onions. Some families have a few acres, while others have up to an acre. This year, there was a lot of rain at the beginning of the season, and the weather wasn't favorable for preparing the land. But in recent days, taking advantage of the dry weather, we've been working day and night to meet the planting deadline."

Just like the farmers in Nam An Phu commune, the farmers in Bac An Phu ward are also busily planting onions and garlic in their fields. Bac An Phu was formerly a concentrated garlic-growing area of ​​Kinh Mon town. Because garlic has a longer growing season than onions, about half a month longer, after planting garlic, farmers immediately start planting onions. Quickly spreading straw to cover the newly planted onion rows, Mr. Vu Van Tu from Han Xuyen village happily said: “My family is planting 3 acres of onions and garlic. Of that, 1.5 acres of garlic were planted a few days ago, and now we're starting to plant onions.”

According to Mr. Tu, farmers in the region often use the Han Lu solar term as a reference point for planting onions and garlic. Having been involved with these two crops for nearly 30 years, Mr. Tu understands the planting rules for high yields. He says that the best time to plant garlic is when the water spinach flowers begin to bloom; and when the flowers are in full bloom, it's the best time to plant onions. Doing so results in fewer pests and diseases in onions and garlic, and promotes better bulb development.

For the winter crop season of 2025-2026, communes and wards in the former Kinh Mon area are expected to plant approximately 4,000 hectares of onions and garlic.

High economic value

Onions and garlic are characteristic winter crops in the Kinh Mon area. The onions and garlic grown in this region are not only famous throughout Northern Vietnam but also known nationwide. Thanks to these crops, the lives of the local people have improved. Mr. Doan Van Ha (Bac An Phu ward) said that in 2024, in addition to growing onions and garlic locally, he also rented land in other areas to cultivate 15 acres. With a yield of 7-8 quintals/acre and an average price of 11,000-12,000 VND/kg, he earned over 1 billion VND. After deducting expenses, his family made a profit of about 700 million VND. This year, he plans to plant nearly 1 acre and continue renting more land in the ward. At this time, his family has already planted about 60% of the winter onion and garlic crop.

Meanwhile, Mr. Tran Van Huong (Tran Lieu ward) has maintained an area of ​​1.5 - 2 acres of onions and garlic for many years. In 2024, he sold both fresh onions at the field and dried onions and garlic, earning 500 million VND, with a profit of 400 million VND.

According to Mr. Chu Van Chien, Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Nam An Phu commune, there aren't many people with billion-VND incomes like Mr. Ha, but households with incomes of 400-500 million VND/year like Mr. Huong are found in almost every commune and ward. Besides favorable land and climate conditions, the people of Kinh Mon area also have long-standing experience in cultivating onions and garlic, and know how to apply technological advancements to production. For a long time, the people have focused on clean production, using organic fertilizers, microorganisms, and well-rotted chicken manure, limiting the use of inorganic fertilizers.

"With favorable soil and climate, and people with rich experience in planting, caring for, and preserving, Kinh Mon onions and garlic have a distinctive fragrant and spicy flavor, large and firm bulbs, and superior quality compared to other localities," Mr. Chien affirmed.

In 2017, Kinh Mon onions and garlic were granted a collective trademark certificate by the Intellectual Property Office. In 2018 and 2024, Kinh Mon onions and garlic continued to be honored as "Vietnam's Golden Agricultural Brand," and achieved OCOP 3-star certification in 2022. Currently, Kinh Mon onions and garlic are not only consumed domestically but also exported to the Middle East, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan (China), EU countries, and the US.

According to Ms. Pham Thi Dao, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, in recent years, to maximize the value of winter crop production, the former Hai Duong province has implemented many support policies to further motivate and reassure farmers in their cultivation. Besides promoting concentrated farming areas, guiding farmers towards commodity production, and applying advanced intensive farming techniques, the district has also actively contacted businesses to resolve difficulties in the consumption stage.

Every year, the former Kinh Mon area cultivates approximately 4,000-4,200 hectares of onions and garlic, mainly concentrated in Bac An Phu ward and Nam An Phu commune. With an average yield of 16-17 tons/ha, the communes and wards in the area earn over 1,000 billion VND annually from this crop.

HA VY

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/thu-phu-hanh-toi-vao-mua-525584.html