Thuy Viet Commune (Thai Thuy District, Thai Binh Province) currently has a planned area of 75 hectares of agricultural land along the Hoa River, outside the dike where it is possible to exploit ruoi.
This natural product, also known as "heaven's gift" or "earth dragon", often appears with the tides and is harvested in the 9th and 10th lunar months every year, bringing high economic benefits to the people.
This year, the season of ruoi in Thuy Viet comes later and also ends later than usual. The proof is that in the first days of the 11th lunar month, farmers here are still busy and bustling to catch and harvest the last ruoi of the year.
On the vast rice fields of ruoi outside the Huu Hoa dike, on the few remaining ruoi harvest days, every household, from old to young, is busy and hurriedly watching the river water, pumping water into the fields, waiting for the ruoi to float up and then scooping them up.
Ms. Yen (living in An Phuc Dong village, Thuy Viet commune) said: My family has 1.5 sao of rice fields, growing one crop of organic rice a year, without using chemical fertilizers and pesticides to create the most ideal environment for the earthworms to grow and thrive. This year, due to the impact of storm No. 3, the rice crop failed and the earthworms were also worse than in previous years.
If last year, my family harvested 90 kg of blood worms, last year also 50 kg, this year the previous year only got about 30 kg, this year we are lucky to get more than ten kg. After harvesting, traders buy right at the edge of the field, the price fluctuates from 250,000 VND - 300,000 VND/kg."
“Ruoi grows and lives underground in the natural environment, without much investment, without buying seeds or food, and without taking care of it, and harvesting is simple, and the price is high. The best way to make ruoi is to make ruoi patties, just add eggs, pork belly, betel leaves, ginger leaves, tangerine peel and a little coconut pulp to have a delicious ruoi patty,” said Mr. Vuong (living in An Cuc Tay village, Thuy Viet commune).
According to research, in order to harvest the earthworms regularly, achieving both yield and quality, people in Thuy Viet commune have applied the spring rice production model according to organic standards from seed selection to harvest, and the winter crop to prepare the soil to create a living environment for the earthworms.
To develop a sustainable rice-worm model, local authorities organize propaganda, technical training, transfer the model to people; support people in choosing high-quality rice varieties to organize production on the area where the worms are harvested annually, applying the process of organic rice production combined with the farming of worms. From the effectiveness of this model, Thuy Viet commune is planning to expand to an area of over 90 hectares.
According to the representative of the People's Committee of Thuy Viet commune, previously, rice cultivation and raising of earthworms in this locality only stopped at the natural area where earthworms live. In recent years, the commune has planned a rice-earthworm growing area of 75 hectares. To plan a synchronous earthworm farming area, Thai Binh province has supported 11 billion VND to build 6 internal traffic routes, water channels for earthworm exploitation and training in production techniques. Each year, the income from earthworms of the people of Thuy Viet commune reaches about 20 billion VND.
“The above results are thanks to the fact that for many years, people have not used chemical pesticides to spray rice, but have chosen to use organic fertilizers according to the recommendations and instructions of the agricultural sector and other specialized agencies. Developing the ruoi area combined with organic rice cultivation is appropriate, bringing high economic efficiency, gradually forming a commodity production area providing high-quality ruoi products, ensuring food hygiene and safety, and organic clean rice products,” said a representative of the People's Committee of Thuy Viet commune.
