Last update 23/02/2013 (GMT+7)
Chinese grow strange rice varieties on Vietnamese land
VietNamNet Bridge ? Everyday, the Chinese man comes to the paddy field in the Hoa Phu commune of Chau Thanh district in Long An province, where he takes care of strange paddies.
The stranger who grows strange rice varieties
Local farmers in Hoa Phu commune have been seeing a Chinese man working on the rice field in the hamlet 1 of the commune for the last two months.
The man can speak some Vietnamese words, named Quang, usually goes together with an interpreter named Lji Wen. Quang has been growing rice on the land plot leased from the local authorities under the name of a Vietnamese man ? Tran Minh Nhu.
Nguyen Van Ben, 72, a farmer in hamlet 1, said he has leased one hectare of land to Lji Wen at VND30 million for every crop. ?With the leasing fee, we don?t have to work on rice fields, but we still can earn big money which was more than enough for us to celebrate Tet,? Ben said.
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Hai Tung, a hired farmer said he spreads fertilizer and sprays pesticide once every two weeks. Tung said that Wen is very generous and he always pays as twice as the wages local farmers expect.
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The fact that Chinese lease land at high fees to grow strange rice varieties is considered quite ?abnormal,? which has made local farmers curious. Meanwhile, the local authorities have decided that it?s necessary to clarify the purpose of the move...
