Abundant winter vegetables, ready for Tet

Abundant output

Gia Loc is a locality with a fairly large winter crop area and maintains a stable annual area of ​​about 2,935 hectares, accounting for nearly 14% of the total winter crop area of ​​the province, concentrated in the communes of Hoang Dieu, Toan Thang, Doan Thuong, Pham Tran, and Le Loi. This is also the capital of growing cabbage, kohlrabi, and cauliflower with 1,873 hectares, accounting for 41.5% of the area of ​​this vegetable group in the province. Mr. Nguyen Duc Du, Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoang Dieu commune, said that this winter crop, the commune planted 2 batches of cabbage with a total area of ​​230 hectares, of which more than 24 hectares were grown according to the VietGAP model, with a yield of 1.2-1.3 tons/sao, starting to harvest from November 2023 to the end of March 2024. "Hoang Dieu commune's cabbage is consumed quite favorably, selling out as much as it is planted. We are very happy that this product has just been recognized as a 3-star OCOP product," said Mr. Du.

A household growing a lot of cabbage in Hoang Dieu commune said: "My family grows more than 6 hectares of cabbage, and I plan to harvest more than 3 hectares this January. I will sell the remaining 3 hectares on the occasion of the Giap Thin New Year. Each cabbage crop usually lasts about a month, so I can leave a part of the area to sell after Tet."

According to the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection (Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Hai Duong), by December 30, 2023, the whole province had planted 22,238 hectares of winter crops, exceeding the plan by 5.9%. The total output of winter vegetables is expected to reach about 500,000 tons, of which more than 210,000 tons have been harvested to date, meeting the needs of people in the province (accounting for about 36%), the rest is supplied to the domestic market and for export. Of which, the needs of people in the province from now until Tet and after Tet are about 100,000 tons of vegetables.

The main winter crops such as onions, garlic, and carrots have large areas and high yields, and are harvested from January to the end of February 2024, but are mainly supplied to the domestic and export markets. The demand in the province is very low, accounting for only 5-7% of output.

Meanwhile, some types of vegetables with high demand in the province, accounting for about 40-50% of output such as melons, squash, leafy vegetables, and spices, have so far harvested about 45-60%, the rest will continue to be harvested from now until the end of March 2024.

Stable price

As a locality with a tradition of growing onions and garlic early, Mr. Mac Van Tuan, Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Nam Sach district, said that this winter crop, the district planted 1,800 hectares of onions, and has so far harvested about 70% of the area. Prices are quite stable, currently each sao of onions is bought by traders at the field for 12-14 million VND, and growers earn 8-10 million VND/sao.

Many households also choose the area and time to plant winter crops to harvest right before Tet. Mr. Nguyen Van Phuong in Pham Xa village, Ngoc Son commune (Hai Duong city) has just sold all 1.5 hectares of cauliflower for 6-7 million VND/sao, earning a profit of 5 million VND/sao. Mr. Phuong is actively taking care of the remaining 5 hectares of cauliflower to sell right on Tet, hoping for a better price.

Sharing the same view that this year's weather is favorable, crop yields are high, and prices are stable, Mr. Hoang Anh Thu, Deputy Director of Tan Minh Duc Cooperative in Pham Tran Commune (Gia Loc) said that the cooperative's products are grown according to clean processes, ensuring food safety and hygiene, mainly supplying the Big C supermarket system and wholesale markets, so the selling price is higher than that of vegetables from other households. Currently, the cooperative's cabbage is sold at 7-8 million VND/sao, kohlrabi is 6-7 million VND/sao, cauliflower is 6-7 million VND/sao, lower than the beginning of the season by 1-2 million VND/sao; cucumber is 17,000 VND/kg, tomato is 10,000 VND/kg... "During Tet, vegetable prices will be 15-20% more expensive than usual. If there is severe cold, Tet vegetables can increase sharply by about 50-60%", Mr. Thu commented.

To facilitate the consumption of winter vegetables in the province, there is a positive contribution from production facilities, linking to consume products for people. Hoang Nam Phat Cooperative in Tranh Dau village, Gia Xuyen commune (Hai Duong city) is an example. In addition to growing about 300 hectares of cabbage, kohlrabi, cauliflower, squash... with an estimated output of 10,000 tons, the cooperative also purchases from outside to consume more than 10,000 tons.