Growing weeds to sell as specialty vegetables, a farmer in Hau Giang "pockets a good salary at the end of the month"

The water fern plant requires little care and low investment costs, but the profit it brings to growers is very good. In particular, the water fern plant is popular in the market and has a stable output.

From the profits that water fern plants bring to households, Mr. Nguyen Trung Tan, a farmer in Hamlet 8, Vi Thuy Commune, Vi Thuy District, Hau Giang Province, has converted ineffective rice cultivation land to growing water fern for many years, bringing in an income of more than ten million VND/year to his household.

Mr. Nguyen Trung Tan's 1,500 m2 water spinach field is 3 years old and still produces stalks every day.

Quickly pull out the water lily plant and show us the stable quality of the plant even though it has been planted for many years.

Mr. Nguyen Trung Tan confided: “Thanks to growing water fern, my family's life has improved a lot in recent years. Compared to rice, water fern gives many times higher income, because rice is cultivated twice a year, the rice yield is not high due to low-lying, alum soil, if the weather is unfavorable, the crop is considered a total loss.

Mr. Nguyen Trung Tan, a farmer growing water fern in Vi Thuy commune (Vi Thuy district, Hau Giang province) is pulling up water fern to sell to traders.

In fact, with 1.5 hectares of rice land, if the crop is favorable, the profit is about 3 million VND/2 crops/year. As for the water fern plant, it can be harvested after about 4 months of planting and the plants can be harvested every day. Up to now, the 3-year-old water fern field still gives good yield.

Also according to Mr. Tan, with an area of ​​1,500 m2 growing water fern, each month he harvests more than 400 kg, after harvesting the water fern is purchased by traders at home, the selling price is 35,000 VND - 40,000 VND/kg, after deducting expenses he pockets more than 10 million VND/month.

In addition to selling fresh water fern, Mr. Trung Tan also makes pickles to sell according to customers' orders. On average, each month he sells from 10 to 30 jars of water fern melon at a price of 110,000 VND/jar.

Although water fern is easy to grow and requires little care, it requires high yield and good quality to harvest.

Once a month, Mr. Tan will fertilize the entire area of ​​the water fern field, along with regularly observing the plant to see if it is attacked by pests, and will use biological products to prevent and control them.

For the water fern plant to grow well and healthily, it depends largely on the water source, so the field must keep a stable amount of water, about half a meter of water for the plant to grow.

To increase income in the water fern growing model, Mr. Hoang Gioi released freshwater fish such as: Butterfly gourami, striped gourami, perch, snakehead fish, yellow catfish... into the water fern field.

Fish released in water fern fields do not need to be fed, so there is no cost for food.

And he raised about 40 egg-laying ducks and released them into the water lily field, feeding the ducks golden apple snails to limit the snails from damaging the water lily.

The model of growing water fern in the fields combined with raising freshwater fish such as striped snakehead fish, perch, snakehead fish, swamp snakehead fish... of Mr. Nguyen Trung Tan, a farmer in Hamlet 8, Vi Thuy Commune, Vi Thuy District, Hau Giang Province.

The farmed fish will be harvested twice a year, after deducting expenses, the profit is nearly 10 million VND/year; the ducks that lay eggs also bring in a few million VND/year from the sale of duck eggs. In addition, around the banks of the fields where water spinach is grown, Mr. Tan also grows bananas and coconuts, which also bring in monthly income.

Mr. Nguyen Trung Tan added: "In fact, growing water fern has many advantages, because it can be combined with raising freshwater fish because the water in the field is kept stable all year round. Around the dike where water fern is grown, you can grow more vegetables, short-term industrial crops and raise poultry.

Through the form of growing water fern, combining fish farming, poultry farming and banana growing on the dike of water fern fields, I have an income of more than 50 million VND per year on a water fern growing area of ​​1,500 square meters.

Ms. Tran Thi Hong Anh, Vice Chairwoman of the People's Committee of Vi Thuy Commune (Vi Thuy District, Hau Giang Province) said: "Spinach is one of the typical crops of the low-lying alum land in the commune. In order for the product of pickled water lily to develop in the coming time, the commune will also mobilize, encourage and guide farmers to grow water lily in a safe way.

And the locality builds a brand for water fern products, aiming to bring the best quality products to the market and create competitiveness in the market, contributing to increasing the value of water fern products, especially increasing income for people who have long been attached to water fern products.

Source: https://danviet.vn/trong-co-dai-ban-lam-rau-dac-san-mot-nong-dan-hau-giang-he-het-thang-la-dut-tui-khoan-luong-tot-20240527230739294.htm