Water chestnut season arrives in Mekong Delta
Farmers in Soc Trang Province have been busy the last month harvesting what has been a bountiful water chestnut crop.
Nguyen Van Quan, 44, of Nga Nam Town, and a hired worker have been harvesting water chestnut since early morning. Growing water chestnut is the main source of income for over 100 families in the area, including Quan’s, who have been doing this for five years.
Nan, as water chestnut is called in Vietnamese, is a grass-like sedge that is harvested year-round and used like a vegetable by locals. The plant grows all over the Mekong Delta, but thrives in Bac Lieu and Soc Trang provinces.
According to Quan, growing water chestnut is quite easy because this hardy plant can withstand acidity in the soil and grows rapidly during the rainy season.
“In the past the plant was considered a weed, but that changed after it became popular in many neighboring provinces,” the owner of a 5,000 sq.m farm said.
Nguyet Nhi
