Young harvest, low yield, reduced price
Quynh Anh Commune, one of the province’s largest vegetable “granaries,” is facing severe damage. Hundreds of hectares of onions, mustard greens, radishes, and sweet potatoes have been deeply flooded and damaged due to prolonged rain.
Mr. Nguyen Binh Minh in Hamlet 5, Quynh Anh Commune, who grows 5 sao of onions, said: "The onion field has just been planted and taken care of for 40 days, and is expected to be harvested in 10 days, but the water is too high, so we have to harvest early to avoid rotting. For the past two days, I have hired dozens of workers, each paying 250,000 VND/day, with lunch, working right in the field in the rain and wind."
Due to the early harvest, short green onions, low yield. The selling price has dropped to only 3,000 - 4,000 VND/kg, while before the rain it could reach 7,000 VND/kg.
Mr. Minh calculated: "Normally, each sao of onions makes a profit of about 3 million VND. Now that we harvested early, the rain damaged the crops, and we lost at least 1.5 - 2 million VND/sao. 5 sao is considered a total loss of nearly ten million VND."
In Quynh Mai ward, many areas of radish, sweet potato and mustard greens were also flooded. Ms. Le Thi Tung, Dai Dong block said: “70% of the radish area was damaged, the rest was sold for only 1,000 VND/kg, not enough to pay for workers to harvest. One sao is considered a loss of 4 million VND”.
Ms. Hoang Thi Binh, a farmer in Quynh Anh commune, also shared: “Two days ago, radishes were sold for 3,000 - 4,000 VND/kg, now they are only 1,000 - 2,000 VND/kg due to flooding. In addition, we have to hire workers to harvest them quickly so the income is not enough to cover expenses.”
Heavy rains have flooded vegetable fields, and most farmers are facing premature harvests, low productivity, and falling prices, while labor and material costs remain high.
Traders join hands to save the crop
Meanwhile, vegetable consumption became more and more difficult. The whole Quynh Anh and Quynh Mai villages simultaneously harvested young vegetables, the output brought to the market increased many times, exceeding purchasing power. Local traders collected mainly to supply markets and restaurants in the area, but they could only consume 3-4 tons/day, too small compared to the amount of flooded vegetables that needed to be "rescued".
Ms. Le Thi Hoai, a trader in Quynh Anh commune, worried: “There are too many vegetables, but the quality is poor, we don’t know where to sell them. The suppliers outside the province all said they have enough supply, we can’t import any more.”
Enterprises have also joined in selling vegetables to the people. Ms. Nguyen Thi Oanh, Director of Phuong Lien Vegetable and Fruit Company (Quynh Mai Ward) said: “We have mobilized all means to purchase and support the people. However, due to the flooded vegetables and premature harvest, the quality is not guaranteed, and the output is very difficult. Partners outside the province have stable contracts, so they cannot import a large quantity of “emergency” vegetables like this.”
At the wholesale market in Thanh Vinh ward, Ms. Phan Thi Dao, owner of a vegetable stall, said: "According to information from traders in Quynh Anh and Hoang Mai communes, people are currently harvesting flooded vegetables, radishes and green onions in large quantities. Therefore, although we do not have a plan to import goods, in this situation, we still accept to buy. Of course, the price is not as high as that of standard vegetables, but it helps people to recover their capital. Accordingly, every day, I receive about 2 - 3 tons of vegetables of all kinds from flooded areas."
Faced with the risk of losing hundreds of hectares of vegetables, agricultural cooperatives and local authorities have implemented many emergency measures to minimize damage. In Quynh Anh, the agricultural cooperative has opened 5 sluice gates to the sea, opened them at full capacity, and is on duty 24/7 to reduce flooding.
Despite the heavy rain and strong winds, people braved the rain to dredge ditches and make raised beds to prevent water from stagnating. Many households also proactively moved newly planted green onion fields to higher ground to resume production immediately after the water receded. Although it is not yet known how the rain situation will develop in the next few days, these efforts have helped to reduce the risk of widespread flooding.
In the pouring rain, people were pulling onions, picking up vegetables, and carrying vegetables to the shore. Everyone was in a hurry, both to save their last bit of capital and to get the vegetables to the market before they spoiled completely. Traders were also urgently weighing, transporting, and contacting everywhere to sell to the people.
However, that is only a short-term solution. In the long term, people want fundamental solutions such as planning safe vegetable growing areas, synchronous drainage systems, along with a stable consumption chain with the participation of enterprises and cooperatives. Only then can farmers reduce premature harvests, low productivity, and falling prices, while ensuring stable income and sustainable development of vegetable production in low-lying areas.
Source: https://baonghean.vn/thuong-lai-chung-tay-cung-nong-dan-nghe-an-tieu-thu-rau-thu-hoach-non-do-ngap-ung-10304646.html
Comment (0)