Ginger growing area for Tet

“The residents of Phuc Tho Lam Ha have had a tradition of growing ginger to serve the Tet market for many years. After every Lunar New Year, people plow the land, make beds, and plant hundreds of hectares of ginger to wait for the next Tet,” said Mr. Dao Van Sang, Chairman of the Farmers’ Association of Phuc Tho Lam Ha Commune. Mr. Sang added that in 2025, people have planted over 100 hectares and by the end of July, the ginger plants have grown very well, predicting a good harvest season.

“Ginger cultivation requires its own techniques, different from other crops. Not all farmers know how to grow ginger effectively. With many years of experience, we, the people of Phuc Tho, have calculated the best efficiency from ginger,” said Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thao, a resident of Phuc Tien village, Phuc Tho Lam Ha commune. In addition to being a ginger farmer, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thao also opened a warehouse to buy ginger for people in the commune.

According to Mr. Thao, when growing ginger, farmers do not spend much money because ginger can be harvested twice. After the Lunar New Year, people plant seeds, on average 1 sao of land needs 500 kg of seed tubers. Seed tubers are large, disease-free ginger tubers, broken off and planted in rows, 1 meter apart. After 3 months of planting, when the ginger plants are about 30 - 40 cm high, farmers will dig up the ginger tubers to sell and then mound the roots again. From those ginger shoots, new ginger tubers will be produced, this is the first harvest for ginger growers. Ginger tubers planted and dug up can still be sold at the same price as ginger tubers, as of now, ginger tubers cost 18,000 VND/kg, while ginger harvested in the first crop costs 15,000 VND/kg.

Plant ginger at the beginning of the year, harvest ginger at the end of the year, after about 9 - 10 months the ginger roots are old enough. If cared for properly, ginger will yield 4 - 5 tons/sao, equivalent to 1 kg of seed roots for 9 - 10 kg of finished roots. Residents of Phuc Tho Lam Ha, who are familiar with ginger plants, all know the cultivation techniques for ginger plants to grow well. "The most important thing to do when growing ginger is to treat the soil from the beginning, lime must be added to disinfect, and the planting hole must have a lot of organic fertilizer. The looser the soil, the bigger the roots, the higher the yield. Ginger plants do not tolerate chemical fertilizers, if inorganic fertilizers are applied, they can only be used for processing, not for seeds," Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thao revealed. He also commented that ginger plants are afraid of nematodes that harm the roots, in addition, there are almost no pests on the stem. Farmers only need to water in the dry season, add organic fertilizer and mound the base 2 - 3 times during the growing process for the ginger plants to grow well and have large roots.

“By October, farmers harvest ginger to supply to warehouses, like my family, which is also a warehouse that buys ginger from the locals. Phuc Tho ginger has large roots, beautiful skin, and is easy to make into jam, so it is popular,” Mr. Thao proudly said. Because of the high demand for ginger at the end of the year, Phuc Tho Lam Ha residents always maintain ginger plants, as a local specialty crop, focusing on the Lunar New Year market.

It is known that ginger plants have been purchased by some businesses for export to other countries. To preserve the ginger roots and extend the export season, many farmers have applied the technique of "holding" ginger right in the field. After the ginger stems have withered, farmers cover the soil tightly, leaving the ginger roots to "sleep", as long as they do not come into contact with water, the ginger roots can stay fresh for 2-3 months, extending the season.