Increase early season workers
At this time, many fields in provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta (MD) such as Can Tho, Hau Giang... have entered the field cleaning stage to plant the 2024 - 2025 Winter-Spring rice crop.
To keep up with the local recommended planting schedule, many farmers have increased their workforce to help with tasks such as reinforcing field banks, weeding, soil improvement, sowing, etc.
Planning to plant 1 hectare of Dai Thom 8 rice for the Winter-Spring crop, Mr. Tran Huu Tam (Chau Thanh A district, Hau Giang province) is hiring 7 more workers to help clean the fields.
Mr. Tam said that hiring workers is to speed up the planting progress, keep up with the local recommended schedule, and avoid the effects of drought, salinity and pests.
“At the beginning of the season, demand is high, so we have to find workers early. Depending on the job and time, the rental fee will range from 300,000 - 350,000 VND/day for women, from 350,000 - 500,000 VND/day for men,” said Mr. Tam.
According to the plan, in the 2024-2025 Winter-Spring rice crop, Hau Giang farmers strive to sow 73,500 hectares. The sowing season is expected to be divided into 3 phases. Phase 1 from November 11-17, 2024, phase 2 from December 9-15, 2024, phase 3 from January 9-15, 2025. Through the review of the Department of Agriculture of Hau Giang province, farmers in the province have sown more than 3,600 hectares, mainly concentrated in Chau Thanh A district and Vi Thuy district.
In Can Tho, Ms. Ho Thi Nhien (Thoi Lai district) is busy cleaning the fields to plant 3.5 hectares of ST25 rice for the Winter-Spring crop. Accordingly, to plant in time and have rice to harvest for Tet and sell at a good price, Ms. Nhien hires about 15 workers to improve the soil, reinforce the dike... with the rental cost ranging from 300,000 - 450,000 VND/day/person.
In the 2024-2025 Winter-Spring rice crop, Can Tho City plans to sow rice on an area of 72,100 hectares. It is expected that the rice sowing schedule will include 2 phases, the first phase from November 3 to 9, the second phase from November 25 to December 1, 2024. According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Can Tho City, localities will arrange the crop season based on the city's crop schedule combined with the measure of "sowing to avoid planthoppers, simultaneously, focusing on each region, each field", directing not to sow for a long time, not to let many rice fields intermingle in the same field.
Earn nearly half a million dong/day
Taking advantage of her free time, Ms. Nguyen Thi Le (Chau Thanh A district, Hau Giang province) has taken on the job of weeding and sowing for hire for surrounding households. Ms. Le shared that this job usually only lasts about 10 days but in return the income is quite high, from 3 million VND or more per crop.
“At the beginning of the rice crop, after finishing my family’s fields, I often go to nearby fields to work for extra income. As a farmer, this job is not too hard for me,” said Ms. Le.
Taking on the job of land reclamation, drainage ditch clearing and embankment reinforcement, Mr. Nguyen Hue Minh (O Mon District, Can Tho City) earns from 350,000 VND/day. On days when he has a lot of work, working more than 8 hours, he is paid 450,000 VND.
“This is my regular job at the beginning of each rice crop every year. On average, each crop lasts from 8 to 12 days, earning me 4 to 5 million VND. This job helps me make use of my free time to earn extra income to support my family,” Mr. Minh confided.
