With a favorable consumption market, the nieng tree has become a crop that brings quite economic efficiency to local people.

According to households growing nieng in Hong Chau ward, Hung Yen city (Hung Yen province), nieng is a water-loving plant, suitable for fields with loamy soil and lots of mud.

If the soil is sandy, it is very difficult to grow because the plant cannot withstand dryness. Therefore, not every place can grow and grow delicious plants.

The type of lotus plant that local people choose to grow is mainly white lotus root. This type of lotus root is spongy, soft, rich in protein, starch, and sweeter than other lotus varieties.

Because of the suitable soil, the water chestnut plant grows and develops well, giving better quality and sweeter tubers than other places, so the selling price is also higher.

During the process of growing the tree, farmers do not have to spend much time taking care of it, do not use pesticides, mainly fertilize the tree to help it grow and prevent rats from destroying it at harvest time.

This crop is only harvested for one month each year. Due to its favorable market and high yield, it is chosen by many farmers for cultivation.

Ms. Tran Thi Dinh, a resident growing sweet potato in Phuong Do neighborhood, said: My family has been growing sweet potato for nearly 10 years.

Growing this specialty plant does not require worrying about seed costs because when the nieng reaches the "ripe" stage, the tubers are big, have many branches, and the leaves are green, I use bamboo sticks to mark them, take the base and continue to propagate them to replant the following spring. The nieng tree is planted once, and can be harvested for 3 years before needing to be replanted.

People growing lotus in Hong Chau ward, Hung Yen city (Hung Yen province) harvest lotus tubers.

This year, the weather was rainy but it did not affect the yield because the water-resistant plant. The market and selling price were stable. At the beginning of the season, traders bought directly from the field at a price of 3,000 to 3,500 VND/root. On average, one sao of water-resistant plant brought my family an income of 5 to 6 million VND/year, 3 to 5 times higher than rice cultivation.

In late October, on the fields of rice that are taller than a person's head, farmers are in the peak season of harvesting rice.

To get big, white tubers, growers start sowing the tubers in the second lunar month, and harvest around the middle of the ninth lunar month. After harvesting, the tubers will be brought home to be cut, sorted into different sizes, then tied into bundles for consumption, and purchased by traders as they are harvested.

For many years now, the nieng tree has become a crop that brings stable income to many local people. It is estimated that this year's nieng season, on average, one sao of nieng will bring in about 5 million VND in income.

Mr. Tran Van Tuan in Phuong Do quarter is one of the households growing many ginger plants in Hong Chau ward with an area of ​​more than 1 hectare.

While carefully turning each branch and breaking each tuber, Mr. Tuan excitedly said: Before, my family's field was only used to grow rice but the yield was low.

By 2016, I had switched to growing lotus tubers, and on average, I earned over 50 million VND per year. During this time, I was present in the field every day to harvest lotus tubers. If I was one day late, the lotus tubers would age quickly, their skin would become green and spongy, and their crispness would decrease, and their delicious, sweet taste would disappear. Wherever I harvested, there were wholesalers.

Being a clean agricultural product, a specialty vegetable rich in nutrients and good for health, nieng tubers are favored by consumers. At this time, walking around the local markets in the province, it is easy to come across stalls selling vegetables, tubers, and street vendors selling nieng tubers.

The lotus root is both sweet and delicious and has many health benefits. According to Oriental medicine, lotus root has the effect of cooling the liver, detoxifying alcohol, reducing fever, stimulating digestion, supporting the treatment of stomach pain and diabetes.

There are more and more delicious dishes made from water chestnuts, from traditional dishes such as: Water chestnuts stir-fried with eggs, water chestnuts stir-fried with beef, to new and unique dishes such as: Water chestnut salad, water chestnuts stir-fried with earthworms...

Nieng is a crop that brings quite economic efficiency to local people. In addition to consumption in the province, Nieng tubers are also sold to traders in many neighboring provinces and cities.

In the coming time, Hong Chau ward will continue to encourage people to develop the economy from growing ginger, expanding the planting area, applying science and technology to cultivation to improve product quality to increase income...