Mr. Vinh's workers carry rolls of straw onto trucks to transport to the warehouse in the fields in Trang Bang town, Tay Ninh province.

Phuoc Chi commune currently has many people who buy straw in the fields, then transport it to warehouses to sell to households raising livestock or growing crops (used to cover beds to keep moisture, and line fruit).

Most of the people in this profession only sell straw to local people. Mr. Vinh transports straw to sell throughout the province, even to other provinces such as Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, and Long An. Mr. Vinh calls his job "straw delivery".

“I am also a person who raised livestock and grew cotton products, so I understand very well the hardship of lacking straw. If there is no straw or if straw is purchased late, buffaloes and cows will go hungry; late cropping will affect productivity. Therefore, I always try to deliver straw on time when people need it, even if it is far away from Tay Ninh province, I will transport straw to deliver, regardless of day or night,” said Mr. Vinh.

In fact, to get dry straw rolls that meet the buyer's requirements, the worker must spend a large amount of money to invest in a machine to roll the straw into rolls.

According to Mr. Vinh, at the time he first started his career, a straw rolling system cost about 180 million VND.

Currently, the price of this type of bin has decreased, but it is still around 50-120 million VND, depending on the type. That does not include the investment cost to buy a machine (usually a tractor) to operate the straw bin system; the tractor comes with a trailer or a truck to carry the straw.

Tractors on the way to transport straw to the warehouse in Trang Bang town, Tay Ninh province.

After purchasing the above mentioned equipment, the straw delivery person must go around the fields in the locality and surrounding areas to observe, choose fields with good straw, and contact the field owner to buy straw. Depending on the time, the price of straw purchased at the field ranges from 1.2-1.8 million VND/ha.

At first, Mr. Vinh did all the work by himself, such as operating the straw rolling machine, loading the straw onto the truck and transporting it to the warehouse. Later, as more and more customers ordered straw, Mr. Vinh could not keep up with the demand and had to hire more people to do these tasks. Depending on the distance from the field to the warehouse, the labor cost was calculated from 5,000 to 10,000 VND/roll of straw.

After more than 10 years in the profession, Mr. Vinh has invested in 4 bin and straw rolling machine systems and 1 truck to transport straw for delivery within and outside the province.

Mr. Vinh said that to gain the trust of straw buyers is a long process of building the Vinh Rom “brand”. Straw delivery people must choose good straw, roll it dry and tight, sell at a “soft” price, deliver straw on time, and most importantly, must be willing to sell in short supply or cover the crop for farmers who grow crops (such as squash, pumpkin, watermelon, cantaloupe, and straw mushrooms).

The source of straw in the three western communes of Trang Bang town is currently relatively abundant, so the input straw purchase price at the field is only about 1.2 million VND/ha.

With 1 hectare, the machine can roll from 100 to 120 rolls. Thanks to that, Mr. Vinh sells straw at a fairly "soft" price. In Phuoc Chi commune and neighboring communes, Mr. Vinh sells straw for 17,000 VND/roll, in Dau Tieng lake area it is 28,000 VND/roll; in Tan Chau district it is more than 30,000 VND/roll, the price of straw sold outside the province will be slightly higher than these levels.

Mr. Vinh's straw is sold to watermelon growers at Dong Rum Rubber Plantation (Tan Thanh Commune, Tan Chau District, Tay Ninh Province).

The weather is at its peak during the hot season, livestock breeders, flower and fruit growers are in dire need of straw.

Mr. Vinh's phone rang almost continuously, it was calls from people ordering straw. On March 6, 2024, in a large field in Phuoc Hoa hamlet, Phuoc Chi commune, Mr. Vinh and his workers worked all afternoon. Under the scorching sun, everyone was drenched in sweat but everyone tried to speed up their work from one field to another.

At present, the number of straw rolls gathered at Mr. Vinh’s warehouse is always not enough to meet the needs of customers. Therefore, Mr. Vinh and his workers have to work as fast as possible.