Despite suffering a lot of damage caused by storm No. 3 (storm Yagi), Hai Duong farmers still strive to overcome difficulties, actively restore production to welcome a warm and joyful Tet At Ty.
Exciting
On the days before the Lunar New Year, the fields outside the Thai Binh River dike in Mac Binh village, Thai Tan commune (Nam Sach) are bustling with the atmosphere of harvesting potatoes and carrots. The joy of a good harvest is evident on the faces of every farmer, dispelling the worries caused by the damage caused by storm No. 3 to agricultural production here last September.
Mr. Tran Danh Tang, Party Cell Secretary and Head of Mac Binh Village, said that after the storm, the alluvial soil was enriched with more alluvium, the weather was favorable, and there were few pests and diseases, creating momentum for farmers to restore production. More than 50 hectares of carrots, potatoes, and cucumbers of the villagers grew well and had high yields.
At the beginning of the season, people in Mac Binh village sold carrots for 6.5 million VND/sao. More than 2 hectares of early potatoes were harvested, also yielding 900 kg/sao, 100 kg/sao higher than the same period last year. With a selling price of 9,000 VND/kg, after deducting costs, people earned about 4 - 4.5 million VND/sao.
"My family just sold 4.5 sao of cucumbers, earning 22 million VND in profit. The remaining 1.1 mau of potatoes will be harvested after Tet, with an expected yield of 1 ton/sao. This year, my family can still afford to buy peaches and have a proper Tet holiday," Mr. Tang said excitedly.
In the same district of Nam Sach, 5 hectares of chrysanthemums, lisianthus, and gerberas of Mrs. Phan Thi Thanh’s family in Doan Ket village, Hong Phong commune are competing to show off their beautiful colors. In the days before Tet, traders are bustling to buy flowers, making her very happy.
Ms. Thanh informed: "The price of chrysanthemums is 2,500 VND/plant, and copper coins are 40,000 - 50,000 VND/bush. In general, the selling price is a little lower than last year, but in return, the rate of bad plants is low due to favorable weather. The storm passed and left a lot of damage, but my family was able to restore production in time, still having a stable income to enjoy Tet and welcome spring."
For the past half month, Mr. Nguyen Dang Dung and his wife in Lien Hong commune (Hai Duong city) have been busy selling Tet peach trees along Vo Nguyen Giap avenue. The grafted wild peach trees with beautiful shapes, big buds, and thick branches have been continuously "closed" by customers, making the couple very happy.
Mr. Dung’s family has 7 acres of peach fields. After storm No. 3, although many peach fields were damaged, the remaining areas recovered quickly and grew well.
"This year, Tet peach trees are more expensive than last year. My normal tree sells for an average of 5-6 million VND/tree, an increase of 1 million VND/tree. Many traders from Hanoi and Hung Yen come to buy from the garden, I sold one tree for 75 million VND", Mr. Dang happily shared.
Exhibition hope
Looking at the flock of more than 2,000 broiler chickens growing healthily with smooth, shiny feathers, Ms. Le Thi Nhu in Kim Tan commune (Kim Thanh) was secretly happy. Storm No. 3 had blown off the roofs of two rows of her family's coops, killing hundreds of chickens. But all that is now in the past as the chickens she is raising have high prospects.
"Before Tet, my family had time to restore stable livestock farming, selling more than 2,000 pigs, weighing 6 tons. With a selling price of 62,000 - 65,000 VND/kg, my family also had a revenue of hundreds of millions of VND. It is expected that after Tet, my family will sell another 2,000 pigs," said Ms. Nhu.
Storm No. 3 made landfall, causing 18,000 South American banana trees in the fruiting stage of Mr. Nguyen Van Dat's family in Huu Chung village, Ha Thanh commune (Tu Ky) to fall. Undaunted, immediately after the storm, his family started replanting 6 sao. Favorable weather conditions created conditions for the banana acreage to grow and develop well, expected to be harvested next June.
Tet has come, spring has come, Mr. Dat has overcome the damage caused by natural disasters. He and his wife bought kumquat and chrysanthemum to decorate the family atmosphere to make it more joyful. "My family has just sold nearly 8 tons of caged fish, so we have a significant source of income to celebrate Tet and welcome spring. All the sadness is now behind us," Mr. Dat happily said.
Hai Duong farmers have overcome the damage caused by storm No. 3, restored production, and have a stable source of income to celebrate Tet. According to the Hai Duong Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, most farms and ranches in the province have returned to stable operations. This Tet, the whole province sold about 1.2 million poultry and 800,000 pigs. Up to now, the selling prices of most types of meat, poultry, and eggs have been basically stable, and farmers have made a profit.
Since the storm, farmers in the province have planted 22,650 hectares of various winter vegetables, exceeding the plan by 5.34%, an increase of 260 hectares compared to last winter crop. At the beginning of the season, the selling prices of cabbage, kohlrabi, and cauliflower were good, farmers earned a profit of 7-9 million VND/sao. Before Tet, many areas of onions, carrots, etc. were also harvested, with farmers pocketing 4-5 million VND/sao. The provincial Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection estimated that this year's winter vegetable output will reach over 504,800 tons, an increase of 11,364 tons compared to last winter crop. Many types of vegetables are expected to be harvested after Tet, with high productivity and selling prices.
Tet is here, spring is here, the damage caused by natural disasters is behind. Together with all classes of people in the province, Hai Duong farmers are eagerly waiting for the new year and hope that agricultural production will achieve many successful results.
GOING STRONG