The scent of Quang Nam lotus village
The peaceful scene of lotus ponds in Quang Nam such as Tra Ly – Dong Lon, La Thap Dong, and Binh Quy invites
QUANG NAM – Flooded moorland, strabismus grows densely planted by people in Binh An commune, Thang Binh district, giving an income four times higher than rice cultivation.
Go Dai field, Binh An commune is a low-lying area, contaminated with alum, so it is not possible to grow rice. Looking at the abandoned fields, luxuriant sedges, Mr. Nguyen Van Thuat regretted, thinking of ways to improve.
Seeing a few wild lotus plants growing well, in 2016 Mr. Thuat planted a trial, giving good results. Since then, he hired a excavator to dig up the ground, build a bank to hold water to form four lotus ponds with an area of 10 sao (one pole of 500 m2).
Mr. Nguyen Van Thuat harvests the lotus. Photo: Son ThuyEvery crop from the first lunar month, Mr. Thuat buys seeds and drops them in the pond. After more than three months, lotus begins to flower for the calyx, at the end of July, the crop ends. The field is full of mud, there is always water, so the lotus grows well, the calyx is large, the seeds are large. With 10 sao, he collects about 30 kg of seeds every other day, selling 30,000 VND/kg.
Mr. Thuat spent about 10 million VND on seeds, fertilizers and pesticides. Growing lotus is not difficult compared to growing rice. At the beginning of the crop, only weeds are cleared, after the lotus grows, we will be sprayed with pests. “Each crop minus costs, I collect about 60 million dong, four times more than growing rice,” said the 51-year-old farmer.
At the end of the season, Mr. Thuat drained the pond to catch fish. Under the lotus root, carp and carp live and thrive.
Next to Mr. Thuat’s pond, Mr. Chau Thanh Hai planted a hectare of lotus flowers in bloom. Every morning, he and his wife bring tools to the pond to harvest lotus flowers. The area is large, so the husband and wife line up horizontally to collect. “When the lotus seeds are ripe, they are harvested, too young, they are very small when dried, and traders do not buy them,” explained Mr. Hai.
According to this farmer, this year was hot, so many lotus plants died, and the yield was not as good as last year. Output products are purchased by traders at home, so they are not afraid of being alone. On average, each crop, harvesting the lotus, his family earns nearly 100 million VND.
Elderly people peel lotus seeds with a salary of 3,000 VND/kg. Photo: Son ThuyMr. Le Hong Thiet, Chairman of Binh An Commune, said that up to now, the whole commune has more than 30 households planting about 15 hectares. In addition to providing a good income, lotus trees also create jobs for many elderly people. The owner of the lotus pond brought the radio to hire the elderly to split the seeds, and rent 3,000 VND/kg of seeds. Each session, the person who peels the most collects more than 100,000 VND.
Photo: Internet (Vinlove.net)
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