Tet orange prices fall, farmers in key orange region of Nghe An are sad

Having just harvested oranges to sell to traders, Ms. Pham Thi Tram in Le Loi hamlet, Nghia Hieu commune (Nghia Dan, Nghe An) shared: Her family has been growing oranges for many years with more than 2 hectares of land; on the same area, there are two types of oranges, early and late ripening, to sell for Tet.This year, the late orange crop is good, with a much higher yield than last year, but the selling price has dropped significantly. In the main season, oranges imported to traders are only 10,000 VND/kg, now the late ripe oranges sold for Tet are 25,000 VND/kg.

Late-ripening oranges in Nghia Dan this year have beautiful appearance, but few traders come to buy them. Photo: Minh Thai

This year, more than 1 hectare of late-ripening Xa Doai oranges of Ms. Le Thi Lien's family in Hamlet 13A, Nghia Yen Commune has an estimated yield of over 30 tons, an increase of more than 10 tons compared to the same period in 2017. However, up to now, the purchase price at the garden is only 23,000 VND/kg. During the Tet holiday last year, the price of oranges at the garden reached 45-50 thousand VND/kg.

Currently, the price of oranges sold at the garden is 23,000 - 25,000 VND/kg, and traders are only buying in moderation. Photo: Minh Thai

According to a survey, the current price of Tet oranges is the lowest in many years, only at 23,000 - 25,000 VND/kg and consumption is also slow, so many gardeners only cut oranges into boxes and sell them retail at markets in and outside the district. Currently, there are still many ripe oranges on the trees. This affects the growth and yield of oranges in the next crop.

Mr. Nguyen Van Dung, a fruit trader who transports fruit to markets in Dien Chau and Quynh Luu, said that the main-season orange crop has decreased sharply because the orange output is increasing. Meanwhile, the main consumption market is within the province. In addition, at this time, other types of fruit from localities inside and outside the province are also flooding the market.

Many late-ripening orange gardens in Nghia Dan district have not yet been harvested. Photo: Minh Thai

Nghia Dan is one of the famous orange growing areas of Nghe An. Orange trees help farmers here escape poverty and become rich. The conversion of land to grow oranges and other citrus trees such as tangerines and grapefruits is widespread, causing supply to exceed demand. Nghia Dan district has more than 1,100 hectares of citrus trees, of which nearly half are late-ripening oranges. If last year, Tet oranges earned an income of 600-700 million VND/ha, this year, it only reached half, making orange farmers sad.