Quang Ngai farmers busy growing vegetables for lunar new year market

Farmers in communes of Nghia Dung, Nghia Ha, Tinh Long, Tinh An in Quang Ngai City are rushing to work in the fields, sowing vegetables to serve the year-end market. These are localities with a long tradition of growing vegetables in Quang Ngai province. Vegetable products here are supplied not only to the local markets but also to neighbouring provinces.

Nguyen Tin, 56 years old, of Village 6, Nghia Dung Commune said that growing vegetables has been the main source of income for his family as well as many other households in the area for decades. Vegetables here are grown all year round but to serve the new year celebration, they grow 3-4 times more vegetables than normal seasons.

“The vegetable grown at the end of the year can be sold at good prices, bringing a better new year to growers,” he said.

“It can be said that the period from lunar November to Tet celebration is considered the time that local farmers expect most as vegetable farming is successful or not depending on the Tet vegetable crop,” Tin said.

Phan Minh Tan, 62 years old, residing in Village 6, Nghia Dung Commune said that this winter, his family grew vegetables in an area of six sao (equally 500m2), an increase of nearly two sao compared to previous crops.

It is expected that by the end of this year, when vegetables are in season, the market is stable, his family could earn about VND8-10 million.

“We normally plant a variety of vegetables rotationally. In the month of Tet, my family focuses on sowing two main types of bok choy and cabbage as these are high-yielding vegetables and are popular with the market,” said he.

In the fields in Tinh Long Commune, Quang Ngai City, most of the farming work of the farmers has been completed. The field owners are racing against time to sow seeds and plant seeds to keep up with the season. The locality is well known for organic and safe farming so its vegetable is very welcomed in the market.

According to farmers there, this year's Tet crop, in addition to the main varieties such as bok choy, cabbage, they grew many other vegetables and tubers such as radishes, green onions, coriander, cove beans.

In general, the vegetables supplied to this year's Tet market are very diverse, expected to give outstanding yields because of favourable weather. People have well-prepared in advance in terms of soil preparation techniques as well as plants, seeds and farming techniques.

Nguyen Anh Tuan, Chairman of Tinh Long Commune People's Committee said that this winter crop, the whole commune produced more than 120ha of vegetables. To have a source of quality products, farmers are focusing on planting seeds and taking care of them. The biggest desire of people today is a stable consumption market.

Tuan said that farmers expected Governments at all levels to soon have the policy to build a brand name "Safe vegetables in Tinh Long commune" to make it easier to promote products and meet the increasing demands of the market.

According to statistics from the Farmers' Association of Quang Ngai City, the city has over 334ha of vegetables of all kinds, concentrated in the communes of Nghia Ha, Nghia Dung, Tinh An, Tinh Chau, Tinh Long, Tinh Thien. Seeing the needs of consumers as well as to ensure food safety and hygiene, the locality has strengthened coordination with functional agencies to organise training and production orientation for vegetable growers.

Through these training sessions, people will learn techniques, thereby minimizing production costs, increasing profits, and providing consumers with clean and safe products.