While many types of fruit, especially those with a tendency towards fruit drop, are facing a crisis, ordinary vegetables used in daily meals (collectively known as leafy greens) fetch higher prices and are easier to sell for farmers...
 |
| Vegetable production at Phuoc Hau Safe Vegetable Cooperative (Phuoc Hau commune, Long Ho district). |
According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, recently, the prices of various agricultural products in the province have increased by 25-72% compared to mid-April. At Thanh Loi Cooperative (Binh Tan district), the selling price of sweet cabbage is 9,000 VND/kg (an increase of 2,500 VND/kg or 45%), water spinach 8,000 VND/kg (an increase of 3,000 VND/kg or 60%), watercress 50,000 VND/kg (an increase of 21,000 VND/kg or 72%), cucumber 10,000 VND/kg (an increase of 2,000 VND/kg or 25%), and regular lettuce 11,000 VND/kg (an increase of 3,000 VND/kg or 35%).
In the province, the vegetables commonly grown by farmers for daily meals can be divided into categories: leafy vegetables (such as lettuce, romaine lettuce, mustard greens, spinach, water spinach, scallions, coriander, etc.), root vegetables (including cassava, white radish, onions, etc.), and fruit vegetables (such as chili peppers, gourds, bitter melon, etc.). Most of these vegetables are easy to grow, adapt well to the natural conditions in various parts of the province, have a short production time, and require low investment (a few million dong per hectare), making them a popular choice for many farmers, especially those with little land, poor households, or those in high-lying areas unsuitable for rice cultivation.
Mr. Tran Van Chien (62 years old, residing in Phuoc Hanh B hamlet, Phuoc Hau commune, Long Ho district) - a farmer with over 30 years of experience in farming and currently a member of the Phuoc Hau Safe Vegetable Cooperative, said that growing cabbage is easier than before because seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and fungicides are easily purchased at stores and dealerships; farmers receive very specific guidance on safe farming and production techniques from commune and district technical staff; and the market for cabbage products is quite favorable because traders come directly to the fields to buy.
Since then, in addition to traditional vegetable-growing areas, the movement to cultivate vegetables has spread rapidly. In our province, in 2024, 36,546.5 hectares of various vegetables and beans were planted, yielding nearly 695,000 tons. The plan for 2025 is to increase the area of vegetable and bean cultivation to over 37,640 hectares, with a yield of nearly 700,000 tons. Thanks to the establishment of large-scale specialized farming areas, concentrated in Binh Tan, Long Ho, Tam Binh districts and Binh Minh town, and the application of clean and safe food production processes, Vinh Long 's vegetable products are very diverse, not only consumed in many provinces and cities nationwide but also exported...
Many cooperatives specializing in the production of leafy vegetables have been formed and have weathered market fluctuations and production conditions, such as the Phuoc Hau Safe Vegetable Cooperative (Phuoc Hau commune, Long Ho district), the Thanh Loi Safe Vegetable Cooperative (Thanh Loi commune, Binh Tan district)... A notable point is that, although the revenue and profits of these safe vegetable cooperatives are not large, their operations are quite stable and do not experience crises compared to cooperatives operating in other fields.
Typically, vegetable crops in the Mekong Delta (including Vinh Long) yield large harvests during the dry season, in both the winter-spring and summer-autumn seasons, concentrated from after the Lunar New Year until the end of June. This is because production conditions are very favorable during this time due to dry weather and minimal rainfall, preventing damage and pest infestations. During the peak of the dry or flood season, vegetable prices reach their highest levels. The lowest yields occur during and after the flood season (from September and October until just before the Lunar New Year) due to prolonged rain and flooding, making vegetable cultivation difficult.
In recent times, thanks to the increased implementation of technological solutions, farmers have gradually increased investment in applying science and technology to production. Many households have boldly leased land to expand their cultivated area, equipped themselves with machinery and equipment for production, etc., to create products that are sufficient in quantity, quality, safety, low in cost, and highly competitive.
In addition, the province's agricultural sector continues to maintain farming models that prioritize the use of organic fertilizers, organic production, and organic certification, such as the 12-hectare watercress cultivation model in Thuan An commune (Binh Minh town); and simultaneously supports the establishment of 4 domestic growing area codes covering 20.46 hectares for vegetables, watercress, and white radish to facilitate domestic consumption.
However, experts advise that, in order to produce vegetables sustainably and reliably, in addition to production techniques, farmers need to thoroughly understand output factors (such as markets, product standards, production contracts and linkages, product buyback agreements, etc.) before expanding large-scale vegetable production to avoid risks.
Text and photos: MY TRUNG
Source: https://baovinhlong.com.vn/kinh-te/nong-nghiep/202505/trong-rau-nghe-an-chac-mac-ben-516068a/
Comment (0)