Farmers excited about high cassava prices

It is currently the final season of cassava harvest in the mountainous areas of the province. This year, cassava prices are 500,000 - 700,000 VND/ton higher than the same period last year. This is a record high cassava price in many years, making farmers very happy because they have high income to prepare for the upcoming Lunar New Year, especially in difficult areas such as Huong Hoa and Dakrong.

Leaders of Huong Hoa Cassava Starch Factory visited and encouraged people of Thuan commune, Huong Hoa district to harvest cassava - Photo: D.V

These days, Mr. Ho Van Xai's family in Ba Vieng village, Thanh commune, Huong Hoa district is busy mobilizing dozens of workers to harvest the remaining cassava area. By using manual labor, the harvest is smooth, ensuring the quality of cassava. This crop year, Mr. Xai's family planted 2 hectares of KM94 cassava.

With the selling price being 500 - 700 VND/kg higher than previous years, his family is estimated to earn about 100 million VND. Mr. Xai happily said: “The price of cassava is high, so our people are very excited. Everyone is happy because this crop has a good income, so we will definitely have a more fulfilling Tet. After harvesting this crop, I will monitor the weather to prepare the land for the next crop. Hopefully the next cassava crop will have a higher yield and output and the cassava will continue to have a higher selling price so that we can feel secure in sticking with cassava for a long time.”

In the cassava field not far away, these days, Mr. Ho Van Tui's family in Ban 7, Thuan commune is also urgently harvesting the last rows of cassava. This cassava crop, Mr. Tui's family planted about 1 hectare of cassava, due to drought at the beginning of the cassava season, so the yield has decreased. However, thanks to the high price of cassava this year, his family also has a good source of income.

Mr. Tui happily said: “Usually, a few years ago, with 1 hectare of cassava, my family harvested more than 2 trucks of cassava roots, but this year we only harvested more than 1 truck. However, because the price of cassava is currently high, we are very happy. This crop, my family has an income of about 50 million VND, thanks to which we can comfortably cover the upcoming Tet holiday.”

According to purchasing units, the reason for the high price of fresh cassava is due to the increased demand for cassava raw materials and cassava flour exports. Currently, the total cassava growing area in Huong Hoa district is 5,600 hectares, with an output of 78,000 tons. Every day, Huong Hoa Cassava Starch Factory purchases nearly 1,000 tons of fresh tubers from Huong Hoa, Dakrong and Laos districts.

Deputy Director of Huong Hoa Cassava Starch Factory Hoang Phuoc Ngoc said: "Currently, the factory is focusing on human resources, operating machinery and equipment at full capacity day and night, striving to purchase all cassava by Tet so that people can have a more complete Tet and enter the new planting season in time." Currently, the factory has purchased about 70-80% of cassava output for farmers. To ensure the upcoming cassava crop is highly effective, Mr. Ngoc recommends that people need to proactively source seeds, preserve seeds carefully; and not overuse pesticides. At the same time, he encourages people to increase the use of organic fertilizers to improve the soil, helping plants grow well and sustainably.

Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Huong Hoa district, Hoang Dinh Binh, said: “Although cassava is a short-term crop, it has brought high economic efficiency and is a key crop to reduce poverty for people, especially in the communes of Lia area. Cassava has helped many ethnic minority households join the 100 million club of Huong Hoa Cassava Starch Factory. In the coming time, the district will continue to maintain the existing cassava area and recommend that people pay attention to care to increase productivity and output in the 2023-2024 crop year.”

The high price of cassava has helped farmers in Huong Hoa and Dakrong to be excited about the new crop. However, authorities advise farmers not to increase their planting area due to the high price of cassava, as the price of cassava will fluctuate unpredictably. Instead, people need to prepare enough seeds, increase organic fertilizer, and take good care of and protect their crops so that the next crop will have higher productivity and output.

Hieu Giang

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