Mr. Le Van Tam, Head of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Thuy (Quang Binh) said: The project “VietGAP Safe Vegetable Growing Area Combined with Experiential Tourism” has been implemented with an initial area of ​​more than 16 ha. So far, the project has been implemented in Hong Thuy, Thanh Thuy, Cam Thuy and Hung Thuy communities. The core of the project implementation are 4 cooperative groups (THT) and 1 cooperative that grow safe vegetables in communities in sandy areas. The project has given people a high income and a new way of thinking about clean farming.

Give farmers new food for thought…

During this year’s winter-spring harvest, the Le Thuy district planted over 1,100 hectares of all kinds of vegetables. Vegetable growing areas are concentrated in sandy communities along National Highway 1A such as Hong Thuy, Thanh Thuy, Cam Thuy and Hung Thuy. The vegetable fields here mainly grow vegetables and fruits such as cabbage, onions, compresses, kohlrabi, beans, sweet melon, bitter melon…

Thanh Thuy commune is one of the major vegetable storage areas of Le Thuy district. The entire commune has 342 ha of land for vegetable cultivation, mainly in hamlets 1 and 4, Thanh Tan and village 3, Thanh My. At present, the commune has 175 ha of vegetable land with an income of over 100 million VND/ha/year.

In implementing the project, Thanh Thuy established THT with the participation of 45 members covering an area of ​​over 2 hectares. Mr. Duong Van Trung, team leader of THT, who grows safe vegetables from Thanh Thuy, said, “THT members always support each other in the production process. The goal we have set is to create a safe vegetable growing area with farming methods that limit the use of chemical pesticides and use only organic pesticides to control pests. Use only manure and organic fertilizers.

We went to the vegetable field in Village 4 (Thanh Thuy commune). Here, households have planted model gardens in the spirit of organic vegetable gardens. Duong Thi Tuyet’s family owns 2 Sao land (1,000 m2) and grows all kinds of onions. Ms Tuyet said: “The family participates in a clean vegetable garden and cultivates according to specific seasonal practices. Because vegetables are clean, termites (traders) always order in advance, so it is easy to consume and the price is higher.”

Mr. Duong Van Huong from 4 Thanh Tan Village, who is busy taking care of the family’s vegetable garden, said that the family’s vegetable field has an area of ​​2 Sao, where many different vegetables and crops are grown continuously harvesting vegetables. usual. Mr. Huong’s garden grows vegetables such as turnip greens, lettuce, onions, mustard greens, cilantro… At present, he continues to grow spring onions and kale. “Thanks to participating in THT to grow safe vegetables, wherever my vegetables are produced, traders come to the garden to buy everything,” Mr. Huong said excitedly.

Mr. Tran Hoa Hoi, Vice Chairman of Thanh Thuy Municipality People’s Committee, said, “Thanks to vegetable cultivation, the economy of the municipality people is better than before, especially the households participating in THT cultivate safe vegetables. Households grow vegetables here and earn an income all year round. Especially on Tet holidays, the production of vegetables sold in the market is very high, so income increases 4-5 times.

Hong Thuy Township currently has more than 350 hectares of land for vegetable cultivation. Vegetables are grown in An Dinh, Moc Dinh, Moc Thuong 1, Moc Thuong 2 and Dong Hai villages. Thanks to the cultivation of vegetables, many households in the municipality have a high income. At present, the entire community has 200 hectares of vegetable-growing land with an annual income of over 100 million VND/ha. In this year’s vegetable harvest, Le Thuy district has also supported the people of An Dinh and Dong Hai villages to set up two farms for growing safe vegetables with nearly 80 households.

Regarding the direction to be taken, Mr. Pham Minh Huan, chairman of the Hong Thuy Municipality People’s Committee, said, “In order to develop vegetable cultivation, the Municipality People’s Committee has mobilized people to expand the area and convert some inefficient rice-growing areas into vegetables. As a result, many vegetable farmers have an annual income of hundreds of millions of dongs. We also mobilize people to switch to safe and clean vegetables to gradually build a Hong Thuy clean vegetable brand.”

9 months income over 70 million

In cool spring weather, Ms. Nguyen Thi Vy (Thanh Thuy commune) plants onion seeds. She pruned seedlings from the adjacent bed. As she did so, she said that after harvesting the vegetable crop before the Lunar New Year, she continued to plant these bulbs. On these hundred m2 of land she has 6 beds. “Harvest and sell onions after 2 months. Traders order between 8,000 and 10,000 VND/kg. Each row makes about 100kg when the price is reached, about 5 million dongs of this bunch of onions,” said Ms. Vy.

We have calculated that only 100 m2 of sandy land, planting onions after 2 months for an income of 5 million VND is a very impressive number.

When asked about her income, Ms. Duong Thi Tuyet (Village 4, Thanh Thuy Township) said: Thanks to the clean vegetables, the termites keep ordering. On average, the family earns about VND 150 million every year with 2 Sao vegetable field,” Ms. Tuyet said.

In particular, Mr. Duong Van Trung, team leader of Thanh Thuy for Safe Vegetable Growing THT, has a rather strange way of calculating income. Mr. Trung said that because people take only 3 months off from rain and flood in a year, the remaining 9 months always work as vegetables in the field. After harvesting this type of crop, the soil is planted with another species. Calculated people have a regular income because they have an income in less than 20 days. “People in THT have found that they also have an income of 300,000 VND per day, about 8 million VND per month. Each worker has an income of more than VND 70 million per year from vegetable fields,” Trung said.

Mr. Le Dai Sau, team leader of the Safe Vegetable Farming Group in An Dinh Village, said that the farming profession of the village people has existed for a long time. This year, many households in the village also participate in the THT to grow safe vegetables, so the goods are sold quickly and at a good price, and people are very enthusiastic.

A Dinh village has over 15 hectares of land for vegetable cultivation, including 1.3 hectares of safe vegetables. Here people grow vegetables all year round, but the strongest development is the winter-spring harvest to welcome the new year with vegetables such as: lettuce, broccoli, chrysanthemum, cilantro, cilantro, onion, basil, beans. .. The vegetable gardens developed well and gave the farmers a rich harvest at the last Tet vegetable harvest.

According to Mr. Sau, people “shoved in” the vegetables accordingly in order to increase their income. For example, near Tet, some people switch from vegetables to flowers. Or one house grows cabbage, another house grows coriander, lettuce, the other makes peas, cucumbers … Directly in the field, after harvesting the mustard, people switch to growing coriander, after harvest they resow lettuce . .. At the domestic consumption stage, farmers should always be able to sell, and farmland will not be “accustomed to steam”, thereby limiting pests and diseases.

In order to support farmers in growing vegetables, Le Thuy District has invested VND 300 million in the construction and implementation of the “VietGAP Safe Vegetable Growing Area Combined with Experiential Tourism” project. Mr Le Van Tan, head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Le Thuy District, said the district organized training, science and technology transfer, experience learning visits, organic fertilizer and pesticide support, packaging and labels for participating farmers in the project.

“After the models of the project are stably put into operation, the district will guide people to visit and experience delegations. Growing Safe Vegetables VietGAP also helps raise awareness of vegetable growing among the people of the district by emulating the model and creating a specialized area for safe vegetable growing in the region. The district will also support people to organize two safe vegetable and fruit buying and selling points in the areas where this project is being carried out,” added Mr. Le Van Tam.