Eggplant prices hit record low, Nghe An farmers worry about crop losses

Eggplant prices plummet, Nghe An farmers worry about crop losses. Photo: Diep Phuong

While pouring each basket of eggplant into a bag, Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan in Block 3, Con Cuong town said that this year her family planted 5 sao, 1.5 sao more than last year and this is the 3rd year her family has grown eggplant but the price of eggplant has never dropped as dramatically as this year.

"Last year, eggplants were sold for over 10,000 VND/kg, the lowest point was 6,000 VND/kg, after deducting production costs, my family made a profit of about 10 million VND/sao. This year, the price is low, only 2,000 - 3,000 VND/kg. When planting, it coincided with the flood discharge of the hydroelectric plant in October last year, causing flooding, so my family had to sow the seeds a second time to have a bumper eggplant field today. At this time, my family has harvested 4 batches of eggplants but only earned 13 million VND. The investment cost for 5 sao of eggplants is 30 million VND, the capital spent on growing eggplants is not enough, not to mention the labor spent clearing the fields, weeding, and taking care of the plants for nearly half a year," Ms. Xuan shared.

The investment cost for 5 sao of eggplant is 30 million VND, but at this time, Ms. Xuan's family only earns 13 million VND. Photo: Diep Phuong

Not far from Ms. Xuan's eggplant field is 2 sao of eggplant of Le Thi Huong's family in Tien Thanh village, Bong Khe commune, Con Cuong district. Ms. Huong said: "On the occasion of the recent Lunar New Year, the first eggplants were harvested and sold for 22,000 VND/kg, making everyone excited, but in the middle of the harvest, the eggplants dropped to a record low, causing farmers to lose their crops."

At the beginning of the season, eggplants were sold for 22,000 VND/kg, but in the middle of the harvest, the price dropped to a record low of only 2,000 - 3,000 VND/kg. Photo: Diep Phuong

According to Ms. Huong, this eggplant season, her family has grown more than 2 sao and has just earned back the 6 million VND invested. In previous years, the eggplants did not start to bear fruit until July or August, but this year, the plants have wilted by the beginning of March. "Because the price of eggplants has dropped dramatically, no household is interested in investing in taking care of the plants anymore," Ms. Huong explained.

Regarding this issue, Mr. Tran Thanh Binh - Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Con Cuong district said: Eggplant is one of the clean vegetable growing models following VietGAP standards of the district, implemented since 2017 with a total area of ​​12 hectares in 3 communes: Bong Khe, Chi Khe and Con Cuong town. In the past, the district has had many policies to support farmers in production such as: supporting seed sources, building wells, watering tank systems... so that farmers can feel secure in production. However, this year the price of eggplant is low, causing many difficulties for eggplant growers. According to Mr. Binh, this year the eggplant crop is good and many other localities also grow a lot of eggplant, leading to a situation where supply exceeds demand, causing the price of eggplant to plummet.