Stable income from growing watermelon

Members of the watermelon growing cooperative in Truong Ninh hamlet, Truong Xuan commune, Can Tho city, share experiences in growing watermelon and increasing income.

Mr. Nguyen Van Lam, Head of the watermelon growing group in Truong Ninh hamlet, said that when the season starts, members plant seeds at the same time, so the harvest time is only a few days apart. This season, most members grow Thanh Long melons, because the purchase price is relatively stable, not "overwhelming" the market.

In 2021, the watermelon growing cooperative in Truong Ninh hamlet was established, with 22 members participating. The total cultivated area of the cooperative is about 126 hectares of land. Previously, most members farmed 3 crops/year. Investing in rice crops costs a lot but the profit is not as expected, so the members have switched to growing seeded and seedless watermelon varieties, such as: New Sun, Thanh Long 494, 492... suitable for the soil and weather of the countryside. The cooperative maintains regular activities for members to inform and exchange experiences in caring for and preventing diseases on watermelons... In particular, members of the watermelon growing cooperative actively participate in training courses, agricultural extension, teaching fruit tree growing and applying new watermelon growing techniques, thereby saving costs, shortening harvest time, achieving high productivity and income.

According to Mr. Lam, he has 6 hectares of land. Previously, he grew 3 rice crops per year. Although the profit was not high compared to the effort and investment costs, in 2018, Mr. Lam decided to improve the land and grow watermelon. To adapt to the new farming model, Mr. Lam connected with and learned from gardeners and social networks about the process, techniques of growing and caring for watermelon. Mr. Lam said: "To grow watermelon with high productivity, it is necessary to focus on selecting varieties, watering enough, fertilizing at the right time, preventing pests and diseases, especially monitoring the weather. I use agricultural film to grow melons to limit weeds, pests, save water and fertilizer; keep the root system moist...". Each year, Mr. Lam grows 4 melon crops, achieving an average yield of 4 tons/crop. In the last melon crop, after deducting production costs, Mr. Lam earned over 60 million VND.

Mr. Phung Van Thanh, a member of the cooperative, with over 10 years of experience growing watermelons, said: “I have 6 hectares of land, intercropping 2 types of watermelons with seeds and seedless. Depending on the variety, the current purchase price is from 8,500-10,000 VND/kg. Each crop of watermelons takes about 2 months to harvest.”

In general, the members of the cooperative have many years of experience in growing watermelons, so they achieve high productivity. Currently, the cooperative hopes that all levels and sectors will pay attention to supporting more preferential loans, new techniques, especially solutions to stabilize output and consumption of agricultural products so that members can confidently invest in expanding production areas.

"After harvesting this batch of melons, the members of the Cooperative focused on sowing seeds, preparing the soil, repairing the beds, and preparing to plant the Tet melon crop. The success of the Tet melon crop with good productivity and income over the years is the motivation for the Cooperative members to boldly invest capital and apply techniques to the 2026 Tet melon crop," Mr. Lam shared.

Mr. Vo Van Nap, Head of the Farmers' Association of Truong Ninh Hamlet, said: "Members of the Watermelon Cooperative are quick to change to suitable crops, and are supported with a preferential loan of 1.06 billion VND to expand the area, and share techniques and experiences in growing melons. Thanks to that, the family economy of the members has developed, their lives have stabilized, and they have become more prosperous."

Article and photos: ANH PHUONG

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/thu-nhap-on-dinh-nho-trong-dua-hau-a190559.html