Ms. Pham Thi Dao, deputy director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Hai Duong Province, said Hai Duong has become the country’s largest garlic-growing region in recent years. The annual onion and garlic acreage in the province is normally 6,600 hectares, of which about 5,800 hectares are for onions, 350 hectares for spring onions and 470 hectares for garlic bulbs.

EARN 8-10 MILLION VND/STAR

According to Ms. Pham Thi Dao, the acreage of onion and garlic cultivation in Hai Duong Province will reach about 6,252 hectares (onions 5,785 hectares; garlic 467 hectares) in the 2022-2023 winter harvest, which are mainly cultivated in China Kinh Mon (3,811 hectares), South Book (2,164ha), Hai Duong City (246ha), Kim Thanh (208ha). Garlic is mainly grown in Kinh Mon (232 ha).

Coming to Hai Duong these days and walking the roads between communities and villages in garlic-growing areas, the image that catches the eye is the towering poles used to dry onions and garlic. In the fields, people are rushing to the harvest and everyone is excited because onions are relatively well seasoned and inexpensive.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh from Kim Loi Village, Bach Dang Township, Kinh Mon City simply squeezed bunches of onions on a drying rack and said his family planted 12 Sao onions this year. The price of onions sold to traders at the beginning of the season (from the end of December to the end of January) is stable at VND 25,000-27,000/kg. From the beginning of February 2023 to the present, the selling price has decreased and ranges from 15,000 to 18,000 VND/kg, but it is still double the price of the previous year.

“Each stake can harvest 5-6 quintals. My house harvested 7 tons and sold 150 million VND. After deducting all costs, each onion stick yields a profit of about 10 million dongs this year. It only takes 3.5 to 4 months to grow onion and garlic, but it is calculated that gathering 1 Sao onion is equivalent to 1 acre of rice…” shared Mr. Thanh.

Mr. Thanh added that the land had only 2 paddy fields cultivated in the past and then was abandoned for 3 months in winter, the income was very low. But currently, the house that produces the Winter Harvest is the most important trade good. Each house grows onions and garlic on an area of ​​1 to a few hectares. After harvesting, the onions are dried again, waiting for traders to buy them. Farmers here are most afraid of the rain, because with a large amount of harvested onions and garlic, the rain does not “run” in time and there is no storage.

In the winter-spring harvest of 2022 – 2023, Mr. Nguyen Van Chien’s family planted nearly 2 hectares of onions in Lac Long Township, Kinh Mon City, due to the unfavorable weather at the beginning of the harvest and heavy rain, so that the Yield was 7 – 10% lower than in the previous harvest. Currently, the onion yield after 4 months of sowing is slightly lower, but the onion price is three times higher than at the beginning of the previous year’s harvest.

“My family is growing a lot, so we sold almost 1 acre to traders by “selling out” the whole field for VND 10 million/sao. The sale of fresh onions is about VND 25,000 to 27,000/kg, three times as much as last year. Onions have a price this year,” Mr. Chien said excitedly.

However, the concern of the farmers who grow onions and garlic here is still a tale of “good harvest, depreciation”. Like last year (2022), onion prices fell to only 6,000 VND/kg, causing onion farmers to lose money. “We hope that the state and authorities at all levels will ensure production so that farmers are not pressured by traders. We also look forward to supporting investment in drying kilns to produce large drying batches, ensure productivity and quality, and enhance the value of post-harvest products…” said Mr. Chien.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Hai Duong Province, the total production of onions and garlic harvested throughout the province this winter crop is estimated to reach 116,400 tons, including: 110,000 tons of onions and 6,400 tons of garlic bulbs. In particular, this year’s onions and garlic brought Hai Duong farmers an estimated VND 2,100 billion.

INCREASE THE VALUE OF ONIONS AND PURPOSE

Onions and garlic are most often shipped home after harvest to be dried, pre-processed and preserved for sale throughout the year. The rest is sold to onion purchasing companies.

At this time, the onion and garlic purchasing enterprises in Kinh Mon city are busy in the season, the preliminary processing and processing of onions is at full capacity. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoan, owner of Hung Manh Onion and Garlic Collection in Hiep Hoa Township, said, “We buy fresh onions and garlic from the people. Then hire workers to do preliminary processing, remove unqualified tubers, and then pack them up, put them in the oven to dry them, and sell them to other provinces and cities across the country. Many orders cannot be delivered to customers on time due to lack of time. point is not enough workers to do”.

Hung Manh Onion and Garlic Purchasing Plant sells more than 10 tons of onions and garlic daily and provides jobs and regular income for 10 local workers with salary of 5-7 million VND/month.

Many people in Kinh Mon Town not only export and sell raw products, but also invest in equipment and gain experience in processing non-onion products to meet the needs of domestic and export markets.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong, owner of a non-municipal onion factory in Lac Long, said: Thanks to their unique flavor, deliciousness and sweetness, Kinh Mon onions have gradually attracted consumers’ attention in recent years. The advantage is that raw materials for onion production are always available, so we can always supply customers who need large quantities.

“We also found leads from traders to export fried onions to China. By doing so, it has helped improve the economic efficiency of onion and garlic products by farmers like us,” said Ms. Hong.

Mr. Truong Duc San, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People’s Committee of Kinh Mon City, commented: With the characteristics of the climate, soil and experience of taking care of many generations of people, the quality of the onions and garlic of Kinh Mon The city always has many outstanding advantages in terms of aroma and moderately spicy taste, making people’s dishes richer. preferred by consumers. In this year’s winter harvest, farmers in Kinh Mon city planted more than 3,800 hectares of onions and garlic with total sales of nearly VND1,200 billion.

A fairly large head of garlic that he brought from Japan was displayed in Mr. Truong Duc San’s office. He said that the price of this garlic bulb in Vietnamese currency is about VND 60-70,000, while the Kinh Mon garlic is of very good quality but only costs VND 15,000-17,000/kg.

“We raised an issue with Japanese companies, they brought Japanese varieties of garlic to Vietnam for planting, which are now being planted in Kinh Mon, and they took Vietnamese varieties of garlic to test in Japan. Currently, garlic has grown and is in the process of fertilization,” said Mr. San, expressing his expectation that if the garlic grown by Kinh Mon farmers meets Japan’s technology standards, they will sign a contract. The people of Kinh Mon will have products with Japanese brands and standards that can be exported to Japan to enhance the value of the crop.