Growing chives in Cong Su

The model of growing chives in Cong Su hamlet brings in a good income. Photo: THUY TIEN

These days, farmers in Cong Su hamlet are busy harvesting chives. This agricultural product is easy to grow, requires little care, and has low investment costs. Chives are harvested year-round, but are not picky about soil, only need a stable water source. Sharing about the opportunity to grow chives, Mr. Le Cong Tang said that when he went to sell vegetables in Bac Lieu , he saw that farmers growing chives had a good income, so he bought seeds to try planting. Chives are grown in a natural way, without using chemicals, only watered with clean water, but they grow well, with lush green flowers.

Seeing that, he decided to expand the model, learn more knowledge online, and research planting techniques. By 2013, his family's chives were introduced to the market, receiving positive feedback from local customers and consumers. "Growing for food is easy, but switching to a large-scale production to supply the market is not simple. We have to learn techniques to grow the best products," said Mr. Tang.

To expand his sales network, he proactively sought out small traders at Cong Su market and a nearby market to offer his products. At first, he consigned the small traders to sell whatever they could, and took the unsold goods home. Thus, his family's efforts yielded initial results. From a few kilos to a few dozen kilos, the output gradually increased.

Having grown chives for over 10 years, Ms. Le Thi Dung has been growing them on an area of ^1,000m2 . According to her, chives are easy to grow, require little care, and can be harvested year-round. “Most chive growing households have a good income and live a healthy life. Like my family, we harvest every 3 days on average, about 20-30kg, priced at 30,000-40,000 VND/kg. During Tet, the price will be higher, each harvest is a million VND,” Ms. Dung shared.

On average, chives are harvested about 15 times per month, with a yield of 300 - 400 kg/1,000 m2. If the weather is favorable, the yield can be higher. In addition to harvesting cotton, chives also harvest leaves, if the leaves are good, they can be pruned for sale. Normally, from the 10th lunar month, farmers sow seeds, after they sprout into chive seedlings, they are planted on beds. Chives take about 8 months from planting to harvesting, their lifespan is 1 - 2 years, sometimes 3 years before they need to be replanted.

With about 1,000 ^square meters of chives, Mr. Le Cong Thuong's family waters them twice a day, and does not need to water on rainy days. Although chives are water-resistant, they are susceptible to waterlogging, so chive farmers pay close attention to soil preparation and must build high beds to prevent flooding. At the same time, they regularly monitor and promptly treat diseases that cause white spots on leaves, affecting productivity. "When first planted, water three times a day, and when the chives have taken root and grown well, they only need to be watered twice. Thanks to growing chives, my family has a stable income," said Mr. Thuong.

Thanks to good quality, good consumption market, stable selling price, the annual profit of farmers in Cong Su hamlet from growing chives is about 150 million VND/ ^1,000m2 . "With good profit, chives are considered as a "fishing rod" for local farmers, gradually being expanded. Not only direct producers, many local workers also have additional income from harvesting chives, thereby contributing to poverty reduction", Deputy Head of Cong Su hamlet Mai Thuy Trang informed.

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Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/trong-he-bong-o-cong-su-a462048.html