Garlic growers on the Ly Son Islands in Quang Ngai Province have a plan to make their traditional crop into a lucrative business.
Garlic field on Ly Son Island
With about 300 hectares of onions and garlic, Ly Son District is known as the 'garlic kingdom' of Vietnam. In 2009, the National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam recognised the brand of Ly Son for garlic. The chairwoman of the district said they hope to expand their output in both domestic and foreign markets. The garlic growers also said they would do their best do maintain the reputation of Ly Son garlic.
Last month the price of garlic and onions suddenly dropped because of oversupply, causing problems for the farmers. Several people converted some of their land to grow corn, watermelon and beans. However, the weather and natural conditions on Ly Son Island are still more favourable for garlic.
Currently, one kilogram of dried garlic is sold at VND60-80,000 (USD2.8-3.8) and the single-clove garlic is sold at VND800,000-1 million per kg. The garlic from Ly Son Island is known for its unique and spicy flavour. The garlic cloves are small and even. The dried garlic can last from four to five months in tropical weather without sprouting. Duong Quan, one of the biggest garlic traders on Ly Son Island, along with his family, owns large fields of garlic. He said, "Each year, my family harvests around 20 tonnes of garlic. We sort the garlic and price it accordingly."
Duong Quan by a pile of garlic
In order to grow garlic on the island, the farmers must carry out a land improvement process, placing a layer of fertile soil, preferably basalt soil brought from the mainland, on top of the original soil. The soil is mixed with fertilizer before the seeds are planted. After that, the farmers deposit a layer of sand on top. This sand plays a key role in creating the garlic's special flavour.
The residents of Ly Son Island now are currently trying to expand to growing black garlic, which could be sold for VND5-6 million per kg. Quan said, "The price is one hundred times higher that of other types of garlic. However, it will be difficult for us to gain access to the technology to grow black garlic if the authorities of Ly Son District or Quang Ngai Province do not create a related project."