Vinh oranges are experiencing a poor harvest, leading to higher prices than last year.

A failed Vinh orange harvest.

In early November, in many key Vinh orange-growing regions of Nghe An province, it's easy to see that this year's harvest is significantly less vibrant than in previous years. Instead of the image of orchards laden with ripe, golden oranges signaling a bountiful harvest, many orchards now have sparse fruit and reduced yields. Vinh oranges, a famous agricultural brand and once the pride of Nghe An farmers, are experiencing an unprecedentedly poor harvest in recent years.

Nghi Loc commune (formerly Dien Hoa commune) has long been considered the cradle of the famous Xa Doai golden-fleshed orange – a fruit renowned for its unique aroma, sweet taste, and high economic value. In good harvest years, each orange fetches 50,000 - 100,000 VND, becoming the main source of income for many households. However, this year, successive storms and heavy rains have caused severe crop losses in this specialty orange growing area.

In Yen Phuc hamlet, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hue's family has over 300 orange trees, but the prolonged rain caused more than 60% of the crop to fall off. In just a few days, a year's worth of hard work was wiped out, leaving her family in dire straits. Similarly, over 100 orange trees belonging to Mr. Nguyen Van Hoa were also flooded after the storm, their roots weakened, and almost all the fruit fell off. Many trees face the risk of reduced yields in future seasons, pushing his family into unprecedented hardship.

The entire Nghi Loc commune has approximately 30 hectares of Xa Doai oranges, mainly concentrated in the former Dien Hoa area. Prolonged storms and heavy rains have caused damage to over 50% of the crop, the most severe damage in many years. Commune leaders assess this as a major blow to the livelihoods of hundreds of orange-growing households, and also a long-term impact on this valuable local specialty crop with significant economic and cultural value.

According to Nguyen Duc Kien, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of the commune, the commune is urgently inspecting and compiling statistics on the damage to report to higher authorities, as a basis for proposing support in accordance with Resolution 16 of the Provincial People's Council. Restoring the specialty orange growing area in the context of climate change is identified as an urgent task to ensure livelihoods and preserve the brand of traditional agricultural products.

Yields have dropped sharply, but orange prices have increased compared to last year. Ms. Le Thi Huong, the owner of an orange orchard in Dinh Hop village, Nhan Hoa commune (formerly Anh Son district), said that due to floods, her family's 2-hectare Xa Doai orange orchard was repeatedly submerged, causing nearly 50% of the oranges to fall off. "Although the harvest season has begun, because the yield is low this year, my family is selling retail to customers right in the orchard at 60,000 VND/kg, 10,000 VND/kg higher than last year. In previous years, the yield was high, and we sold to traders everywhere," Ms. Huong shared.

Quang Dong commune, formerly the Vinh orange growing area of ​​Yen Thanh district, is also experiencing a significant drop in yield this year. Mr. Truong Van Bien, the owner of a 5-hectare orange orchard, said that 50% of the oranges have fallen off this year. The cause is attributed to the impact of typhoons No. 3, No. 5, and No. 10. "The oranges here didn't fall off due to physiological reasons or flooding, but because of strong winds from the storms, which twisted the trees and caused the fruit to fall. Currently, the oranges are ripening and ready for harvest, but we won't connect with traders for mass harvesting until October of the lunar calendar. Currently, the selling price at the orchard is 60,000 VND/kg for grade 1 (large, beautiful, juicy fruit) and 45,000 VND/kg for grade 2, both increasing by 10,000 VND/kg compared to last year's orange harvest."

Mr. Nguyen Cong Hieu, Head of the Economic Department of Quang Dong Commune People's Committee, said: The entire commune currently has 130 hectares of Vinh oranges ready for harvest. This year, due to the impact of storms and heavy rain, the amount of fallen oranges is about 10% higher than last year. In particular, in older orchards, the amount of fallen fruit is even higher. By the beginning of October in the lunar calendar, the orange orchards begin mass harvesting.

Forecast of supply shortages.

Despite the sharp increase in orange prices, most farmers assert that this is not good news. The significant drop in yield has led to a decrease in income. While in previous years, one hectare of orange trees could yield 20 tons of fruit, this year it only yields 10-15 tons. Farmers estimate that the cost of caring for one hectare of orange trees each year ranges from 60-80 million VND. Therefore, even with higher prices than last year, the low yield means income will not be as high as in previous years.

One of the major reasons for this year's poor orange harvest, besides pest and disease issues, is the series of extreme weather events throughout the year.

According to Mr. Nguyen Tien Duc, Head of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection in Nghe An province, the prolonged rainy and stormy weather this year has caused about 30% of Vinh oranges to fall off the trees. The average yield is only 10-15 tons/ha, much lower than in previous years when orange orchards typically yielded 20 tons/ha or more. Currently, the province has about 2,800 hectares of oranges ready for harvest, but the sharp decrease in production will lead to a shortage in market supply.

Vinh oranges are renowned for their delicate aroma, juicy segments, and distinctively sweet taste, setting them apart from oranges from other regions. Therefore, during harvest season, consumers in many places eagerly anticipate and seek out this special fruit.