HARVESTING SHALLOTS IN QUANG NGAI

With 180 ha of shallots along the coast, Binh Hai commune, Binh Son district, Quang Ngai province is known as the center of shallots on the mainland.

At the end of April, shallot fields in Binh Hai commune entered the second harvest of the year. This commune has soil condition similars to Ly Son Island, which is suitable for shallot. Every year, there are three shallot crops, from Tet to August. The annual output is about 1,800 tons. Binh Hai shallot brand has been recognized by the Binh Hai Department of Intellectual Property and the locality is building a specialized cultivation area under VietGAP standards on over 20 ha.

Mr. Pham Van Xuyen, Vice Chairman of Binh Hai commune, said that the shallot originated in Ly Son island, and was brought here for testing more than 30 years ago, opening up a new direction for farmers. Up to now, growing shallots has become a traditional profession in the commune with the participation of about 400 households.

A farmer was loading freshly harvested shallots onto the wheelbarrow.

After harvesting about 2000 m2‑ of shallots, Mr. Huynh Trung Thu in Thanh Thuy village piles shallots in the yard in front of his house. With a price of about 30,000 VND per kg, Mr. Thu’s family can get a revenue of about 90 million VND for each crop. After deducting costs, they make a profit of more than 50 million VND. Shallots are sold by traders to Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and many provinces throughout the country.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Be, 78 years old, said that in the past, she only planted beans or corn for lower income. After the end of the shallot season, she and other households will switch to growing cilantro in the last months of the year.

Hanging shallots on the rope to make full use of the space and help them dry quickly.

After the drying process, the owner will hire many laborers in the village to cut the stems and roots. Each laborer is paid about 150,000-200,000 VND per day.

Mr. Pham Luu, 59 years old, said that a shallot crop lasts about 50 days. Shallot fields are invested with an automatic irrigation system with a cost of about 2 million VND per 500m2. About 4 days before harvesting, the farmer will stop irrigation.

Normally, 500m2 ò shallot needs 100 kg of seed (costing more than 4 million VND). If the crop is successful, the output can reach nearly 1 ton per 500m2. However, pests may affect production. With three crops in a year, on average, a household in Binh Hai commune can earn hundreds of millions of VND./.