Immediately after the harvest, even while many neighboring fields have not yet been fully reaped, households in Pom Loi village have quickly cleared the rice stubble, tilled the soil, applied fertilizer, and sown seeds for a new season of waxy corn. For the past three years, the movement to plant waxy corn (a purple variety) has been strongly embraced by the people of Pom Loi, who have expanded the cultivation area.

The early winter image of steaming pots of boiled corn, hot and fragrant, beside the Pom Loi fields, a place many residents of Điện Biên Phủ and Mường Thanh wards choose for their evening walks and exercise, has become a familiar sight. And from these simple pots of boiled corn, the villagers have earned a significant additional income, averaging around VND 10 million per 1,000m² of winter corn. Seeing the clear economic benefits, after this year’s harvest, the households of Pom Loi immediately started planting corn, with a registered area of over 1 hectare.

The couple Tòng Văn Hòa and his wife are not only planting corn on their own fields but have also borrowed additional land from other households who are not cultivating a third crop. With the husband applying fertilizer and the wife sowing seeds, the two work quickly to plant an area of 3,000m². The Hòa family is one of the pioneers in the village in planting a third crop of corn on their two-season rice fields. This is also the third year his family has earned extra income from the purple waxy corn.

Mr. Hòa shared: “On the same plot of land, planting a third crop of waxy corn is more economically efficient than rice. Because the fields are near a residential area with many people passing by for exercise, the waxy corn is easy to sell and gets a good price. Seeing the clear benefits, and taking advantage of the fallow fields while waiting for the winter-spring season, my family is continuing to plant corn this year.”

In Bó Hóng village, Mr. Lò Văn Lún is also preparing his land, getting ready to plant waxy corn in the next 2-3 days. Mr. Lún said: “I’ve seen many households have success with planting corn, and it’s a waste to leave the fields empty, an inch of land is an inch of gold. So this year, I’m planting two bags of corn seed. Hopefully, at harvest time, I’ll have some extra income for the family’s expenses.”

Meanwhile, in Team 10, the residents are focusing on planting vegetables and sweet potatoes for this winter crop. Seedlings for seasonal vegetables like kohlrabi, cabbage, and tomatoes have already taken root and are being carefully tended. Ms. Lê Thị Yến, the leader of Team 10, said: “Team 10 has registered to plant 4 hectares of winter crops. The people have been actively out in the fields producing. This isn’t the first year we’ve developed the winter crop; it’s been done for several years now, so the households have experience and are more proactive in their cultivation.”

It’s not just these areas; to date, a total of 5 teams and villages across Mường Thanh ward have registered to plant winter crops with a total area of 16 hectares, mainly waxy corn and vegetables. The ward’s People’s Committee is orienting the development of winter crops that are suitable for the local soil, climate, and market demand. At the same time, it continues to communicate and encourage households to make use of their arable land and expand the winter crop area to better exploit the land’s potential and increase income.

Mr. Trần Văn Sơn, Deputy Head of the Office of Economics, Infrastructure, and Urban Affairs of Mường Thanh ward, stated: “To support the people and ensure high production efficiency, the ward has developed technical production procedures for several winter crops for 2025. These procedures specify cultivation methods and balanced investment levels for seeds, materials, and fertilizers for each level of intensive farming. Based on this, we are coordinating with the leaders of residential groups, villages, and teams to implement and guide the people to closely follow the procedures and apply them flexibly to each production area. In addition, the ward has compiled a list of winter crop areas and sent it to the Điện Biên Irrigation Company to coordinate irrigation, ensuring a favorable season.”

On the fields after the harvest, green shoots are once again sprouting, carrying with them the beliefs and aspirations of the farmers. By “not letting the land rest,” the farmers of Mường Thanh ward are effectively exploiting every inch of land, turning the post-harvest fields into commodity production areas that yield high economic value. This contributes to diversifying the crop structure, increasing income, and promoting local agricultural development.