PQ tangerines fall all over the garden in Quy Hop
PQ tangerine growers in Minh Hop commune, Quy Hop district are facing an unprecedented situation of unsold products. Although the selling price is only 2,500 - 3,000 VND/kg, very few traders buy, tangerines fall all over the garden, causing heavy losses for farmers.
Oranges are cheap as free but still no one buys them
At this time, visiting Minh Hop commune, we saw that PQ tangerine gardens were in full ripeness, but instead of being harvested, a series of ripe fruits fell all over the ground, many even rotted. According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Yen, a tangerine grower in hamlet 8, the price of tangerines this year is only about 2,500 - 3,000 VND/kg, but they still cannot be sold. Ms. Yen said: "In previous years, tangerine prices fluctuated from 8,000 - 10,000 VND/kg, after deducting costs, there was still a profit. But in the past two years, the price has been both low and difficult to sell."
Ms. Yen’s family has 10 sao of PQ tangerines, equivalent to nearly 300 trees, and this year they harvested about 10 tons. However, there are still more than 4 tons of tangerines that have fallen in the garden. Currently, there are about 6 tons left on the trees but they are also difficult to sell. If there is no outlet, she will have to let the tangerines ripen and fall, or even throw them away.
Mr. Tran Van Loi, another tangerine grower in Minh Hop, is facing a similar situation. His tangerine garden is ripe but no one is buying. “These past few days, I had to dig holes to bury tons of rotten tangerines because I couldn’t sell them. Now, anyone who wants to eat them can come pick them, I’ll give them away for free,” Mr. Loi shared in frustration.
Farmers are worried, traders are also cautious
Not only tangerine growers are facing difficulties, but traders are also complaining about weak consumption. Mr. Nguyen Minh Hai, a trader who transports tangerines for consumption in the province, said: "We import tangerines from the garden at 2,500 VND/kg, then pack them in boxes and transport them to rural markets for retail, but this year, sales are very slow."
Some tangerine growers in Minh Hop commune also said that in recent years, PQ tangerines have continuously dropped in price, not enough to cover the cost of fertilizer and care. This makes them worried about continuing to invest in the following crops.
Faced with plummeting tangerine prices, many farmers have considered switching crops. Mr. Le Viet Minh - Director of Xuan Thanh Agricultural One Member Co., Ltd., said: “Previously, the Company had over 1,700 hectares of land growing PQ oranges and tangerines, but due to the deterioration of oranges due to pests and diseases, we converted 1,200 hectares to growing sugarcane. The area of PQ tangerines alone is currently about 27 hectares, but the price is too low and difficult to sell. The economic efficiency of PQ tangerines is very low, only about 25 million VND/ha, while growing sugarcane can reach over 100 million VND/ha.”
Therefore, according to Mr. Minh, the long-term solution is to encourage farmers to switch to crops with higher and more stable economic value such as sugarcane. If they continue to grow tangerines, people need to find a more stable output, instead of depending on traders.
