Growing herbs, low investment, high efficiency

The vegetable growing area is concentrated in La Xa residential area, Ha Huy Tap ward with an area of over 2.5 hectares.

Herbs such as green onions, coriander, perilla, basil, and Vietnamese balm are familiar and indispensable plants in Vietnamese cuisine . In recent years, many localities in Ha Tinh have established specialized herb growing areas.

In Ha Huy Tap ward, the area for growing herbs has been expanded every year. Currently, there are more than 2.5 hectares of popular herbs such as canh gioi, perilla, basil, etc. grown organically, concentrated in many households and vegetable growing areas in La Xa residential area.

Every day, from morning to late afternoon, on the concentrated vegetable and spice fields of La Xa residential group, households actively work on the fields, tending, plowing, planting and harvesting to deliver to agricultural markets on time. The atmosphere of production is urgent and bustling throughout the fields.

Herbs grown in La Xa residential area are mainly consumed at wholesale markets and restaurants.

Having just harvested, Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Huong shared: "My family has 3 sao of land growing herbs such as Vietnamese coriander, onions, basil, perilla... Many herbs only need to be planted once to be harvested continuously for 2-3 years, then destroyed to plant a new crop. Moreover, herbs rarely have leaf-eating insects, so there is no need to use chemicals, which costs less investment."

Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Huong has more than 20 years of experience growing herbs. She said that herbs are often used for direct consumption, so growers must pay attention to fertilization and not use chemical pesticides. After harvesting, vegetables are brought to Binh Huong night market (Tran Phu ward) and local restaurants for consumption. Each month, after deducting expenses, her family has an income of about 7 - 8 million VND.

La Xa TDP currently has more than 15 households growing spices and vegetables. To ensure the progress of intercropping vegetables, many households also hire additional workers who are local or from other regions.

Ms. Tran Thi Huong (Cam Binh commune) said: “I have been working for hire in the La Xa residential area field for 3 years. My job is to support households in tilling the land, sowing, weeding, fertilizing, harvesting... Depending on the time, on average I work about 3 - 5 hours a day, and my income is also stable.”

Mr. Duong Van Hai, Deputy Head of Economic Department, People's Committee of Ha Huy Tap Ward added that herbs are the main crop that brings the main source of income for farmers in La Xa TDP. Each sao of herbs brings in an income of 30 - 40 million VND per year. In the coming time, the ward will continue to review land funds in the area to expand the area of herbs, creating conditions for people to increase income and develop the economy.

Not only the vegetable growing area in Ha Huy Tap ward, in some other localities, many households have also boldly converted ineffective crops to grow spices, bringing in income many times higher than other traditional vegetables.

Vegetable growing areas in Duc Tho commune have expanded their area to grow spices.

With ^700m2 of land in her garden, Ms. Tran Thi Ha (Duc Tho commune) often grows aromatic herbs such as purple perilla, Vietnamese balm... Ms. Ha shared: "Aromatic herbs are usually easy to grow, easy to care for, and have few pests. Growing aromatic herbs only takes about 1 month to harvest, then continue to water, fertilize with organic fertilizer, and after 20 days can harvest the next crop".

The average price of herbs is 3,000 - 4,000 VND/bunch. When there is a shortage and the price is higher, the daily income of farmers can reach over 1 million VND. In case the price is low, with 100 bunches per day, the grower can earn about 200,000 VND.

Mr. Phan Van Huan, Head of the Cultivation Department, Ha Tinh Department of Cultivation and Livestock, added: Before planting, people need to learn about the soil and weather characteristics to choose suitable vegetables. In addition, it is necessary to focus on improving the production level of households, aiming at products produced according to organic standards; implementing consumption linkages to stabilize output and prices.

Although the economic efficiency of herbs is not outstanding, they have a stable income, are easy to care for, and require little use of pesticides. Therefore, the model of growing herbs has contributed to opening a new direction in converting crop structure in many localities.