Taking advantage of the vacant land in Thu Duc City, Mr. Nguyen Van Kim, 63, goes to graze buffaloes, returns to the hut to pick lotuses, herds ducks harvests rice…
For more than a decade, the grasslands in a residential area in Thanh My Loi Ward (Thu Duc city) have been the place where Mr. Nguyen Van Kim grazes his herd of 22 buffaloes, from morning to afternoon every day.
“I was born and raised here, attached to the field since I was a child. Now this place has become a residential area, many relatives are no longer farmers. Missing the job, I still go to herd buffalo and grow rice every day. decades,” said the 63-year-old man.
In the past, he raised a few buffaloes to gain the power to plow, but about 20 years ago, when the fields were gradually replaced by residential areas, he switched to raising the whole herd to sell.
Old farmers often choose wide lawns with puddles to graze buffaloes. He said that at first, he worked as a herder, and it took about 10 years to save enough money to buy breeding buffaloes and then build up the whole herd as it is now.
Every day, he just let the buffalo go for a walk from morning to afternoon, then brought it back. When finished, he rested by the shack next to the lawn to look after the buffaloes.
“In the rainy season, the grass is green and luxuriant with many puddles of water, so any vacant land is convenient for grazing. But I have to look after buffaloes regularly, not letting them into people’s houses to destroy ornamental plants, gardens or run wild on the road.”, he said.
According to Mr. Kim, each buffalo raised for about three years can be sold, depending on the weight and size, the price is about 20 to 30 million VND.
“A year, I earn about 60 million dongs, which is equal to working as a security guard, but it’s more comfortable. Any unlucky year that gets stolen from a buffalo is considered a public job,” said Mr. Kim.
At 3 p.m., when the buffalo was full, he used a boat to drive it back to the barn, about 2 km away from the grazing place. “For the whole herd to wade, it only takes more than half an hour to get to the barn, but if you go by road, it will take twice as long to affect traffic,” said the owner of the buffalo herd.
The land is located in a planned area of 5,000 m2, near Phu My Bridge, where Mr. Kim and his wife have lived for more than a decade. With the permission of the investor, the couple dug more lotus ponds, planted rice, and raised ducks… to “increase production”.
Having just driven the buffalo into the barn, the sixty-year-old man waded down to the lagoon to collect lotus seeds and seeds for his evening meal. This area is often flooded, he said, so it is very suitable for growing lotus. With three lagoons of nearly 2,000 square meters, he can earn 300,000 VND per day from selling lotus.
“Before that, every day my wife and I picked them and brought them to the market to sell, many passersby also stopped to ask to buy flowers. But for a few months now, the market has closed, so we have lost a source of income,” he said.
The flock of 200 ducks is grazed freely in the flooded fields that have just been harvested, and in the afternoon, they are brought back to the barn by the owner. Recently, his family had nearly 50 ducks stolen, no matter how big or small.
Mr. Kim has more than 2,000 m2 of rice growing twice a year, earning about 3 tons. The rice he does not sell, but to eat with as food for ducks. During the epidemic months, his children did not have a job, so they went to help their parents reap, dry the rice, plow the land… to sow a new crop.
Kim and his wife have 5 children, the youngest is 30 years old, most of them are married and have stable jobs. They live nearby, when they have free time, they often go to the hut to play and help their parents with the farm work.
In the evening, Mr. Kim and his wife, Mrs. Pham Thi Van (62 years old) sat in a hut in the middle of vast land. For more than a year, they have used solar panels to replace batteries to get electricity. Domestic water is purchased for 150,000 VND for 1.5 m3, used for more than half a month.
“Every child wants their parents to come home and live comfortably, but I don’t like it. It’s peaceful here, sticking to the fields and not worrying about lack of food, so we just live until the landowner tells us to go away. then count,” said Mr. Kim. Follow vnexpress