Rice straw bales in Đồng Tháp Province’s Tam Nông District. – VNA/VNS Photo Nguyễn Văn Trí

HCM CITY – Rice farmers in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta are earning higher incomes from selling rice straw left over from the harvested 2019 – 20 winter-spring rice crop.

The rice straw, which can be used to grow mushrooms, is in high demand.

The delta, the country’s rice granary, is completing the harvest of the winter-spring rice and traders are buying rice straw bales that weigh 20 – 25 kilogrammes each at a price of VNĐ30,000 (US$1.3), up VNĐ7,000 – 8,000 against the same period last year.

The demand for rice straw to make cattle food, produce compost fertiliser, and cultivate rice straw mushrooms has caused the price to increase.

Farmers in the delta have earned an average income of VNĐ700,000 – 900,000 ($30 - 38) from selling rice straw per hectare in the 2019 – 20 winter-spring crop, according to farmers.

Nguyễn Văn Dồ, who has a 3ha rice field in Đồng Tháp Province’s Thanh Bình District, said he earned VNĐ30 million ($1,300) from selling rice straw from two rice crops planted in one year.

Besides earning additional income, he no longer has to burn rice straw on his field.

Many farmers in the delta often burn rice straw after harvesting rice to clear the land for the next rice crop. The open-field burning method, however, causes air pollution.

With higher demand for rice straw in recent years, traders are visiting harvested rice fields to buy rice straw. They rent baling machines and then sell the product to customers.

A rice straw baling machine can process 500 – 600 bales a day. Each hectare of harvested rice field provides 120 – 150 bales.

More farmers in the delta are using the straw because of the high demand for rice straw mushrooms, which is used in many dishes.

In Cần Thơ City, farmers cultivate rice straw mushrooms and earn VNĐ30 – 40 million ($1,300 – 1,700) per 1,000 sq.m per one-month mushroom crop.

Đoàn Văn Suôl, who grows rice straw mushrooms in Bình Thủy District in Cần Thơ, said: "Many households here have become well off from growing the mushrooms."

Traders are buying rice straw mushrooms for VNĐ45,000 – 50,000 ($2 – 2.1) a kilogramme.

Because local supply of rice straw cannot meet demand, mushroom farmers in the city have to buy rice straw from neighbouring provinces.

After harvesting rice straw mushrooms, farmers sell the left-over straw to other farmers who use it as organic fertiliser to grow flowers, vegetables or fruits.

Nguyễn Thị Phượng, who grows flowers in Bình Thủy’s Long Tuyền Ward, said most flower farmers use left-over straw to make organic fertiliser.

“Organic fertiliser is important to increase the quality of flowers,” she said. – VNS