Vegetable production in the Red River Delta of Vietnam. II. Profitability, labour requirement and pesticide use

Vegetable production plays an important role in the rural economy of the Red River Delta (RRD), Vietnam. Data were collected on present vegetable production in the RRD, with the aim to characterise the vegetable production in terms of profitability, labour requirement and pesticide use and to evaluate vegetable production for its potential to increase rural household income.Three hundred and sixty data sets consisting of qualitative (planting and harvesting dates) and quantitative (yield, product price, material and labour input) data were collected from 42 different vegetable crops presently produced commercially in the RRD. Variables were converted into value (thousand Vietnamese Dong, kVND) or days per hectare per growing day in the field (Gday), enabling analysis of data independent of crop growth duration.The income derived from vegetable production ranged from 100 to 400 kVND/ha/Gday. Labour input varied from 3 to 9 days/ha/Gday. Profit increased with an increase in the labour input per growing day. Short growth duration crops required a higher labour input per growing day. The average cost of pesticide use was 25.7 kVND/ha/Gday. Planting in the summer season may result in a shorter growing period as compared to planting in the winter season. The range of variation in the data reflects the diversity in crops and cropping conditions in the RRD.The results indicate that permanent vegetable production has the potential to substantially contribute to an increase in rural household income in the RRD, while increased labour demand can likely be fulfilled by the family household. Thereby, developing permanent vegetable production systems may be a pathway for development of the vegetable production sector in the RRD.