Betel nuts reach peak price, Thai ethnic minority in Nghe An province strikes it rich.

In early August, Na Cay village in Tien Phong commune bustles with activity as the main betel nut harvest season begins. From early morning, traders are present in the orchards, setting up scales, preparing sacks, and waiting for each cluster of lush green betel nuts to be harvested. The atmosphere is lively with buying and selling, the sounds of laughter and conversation mingling with the thudding of betel nuts falling onto the tarpaulins spread at the base of the trees.

Meeting Ms. Ha Thi Hoi, one of the largest betel nut growers in Na Cay village, she shared that this is an exceptionally bountiful betel nut harvest with good prices. Her family has 3,000 betel nut trees in their productive stage, each yielding about 20 kg of fruit, bringing in approximately 1.5 million VND. In late July alone, she sold 2 tons of betel nuts at 80,000 VND/kg, earning over 160 million VND. For the entire season, Ms. Hoi estimates her earnings to be over 300 million VND.

Ms. Hoi happily shared: “The betel nut trees were planted in our hillside garden decades ago, starting with 10-15 trees. Over time, they gradually multiplied, especially when betel nuts became a commodity, with traders buying them directly from the garden. Our family then planted them in concentrated areas on the hillside. Now, 3,000 betel nut trees have become the main source of income for our family.”

Also in Na Cay village, Ms. Luong Thi Mai (Team 3) owns 4,000 betel nut trees, of which about 1,000 are in their productive stage. This year's betel nut harvest, with selling prices ranging from 80,000 to 85,000 VND/kg, brought in nearly 200 million VND in revenue. "I've been growing betel nuts for many years, but the price has never been this high. Traders come directly to the garden to buy, weigh the nuts and pay immediately, so the villagers feel very secure," Ms. Mai said excitedly.

Since the beginning of the season, the price of betel nuts has continuously increased. At the start of the season, the price was around 52,000 – 55,000 VND/kg, then it rose to 70,000 VND, and now it has almost doubled to 85,000 VND. “Betel nuts are harvested four times a year, from the 15th day of the 6th lunar month to the end of the 11th lunar month. This year, the price has increased continuously; in just over a month, it went from 50,000 VND to 85,000 VND/kg, ten times higher than in 2023,” added Ms. Mai.

According to Mr. Lo Van Mui, head of Na Cay village, betel nut trees have been present in the area for decades, but only in the last 10 years have they developed strongly as a commercial crop. In particular, in the last 5 years, they have become the main crop in the development of hillside, farm, and small-scale agricultural businesses. "Some households plant thousands of trees, covering the entire hillside with betel nut trees. From afar, the village looks as if it's surrounded by rows of straight betel nut trees," Mr. Mui described.

Areca palm trees are considered well-suited to the conditions of many areas in Nghe An province: easy to plant, easy to care for, resistant to pests and diseases, require little fertilizer, and are less affected by natural disasters. Areca palm varieties can be self-propagated, have a long harvesting period, and provide stable economic returns if prices are maintained. This is why, in recent years, the area under areca palm cultivation has increased rapidly, even dramatically in some places.

However, the betel nut market is fraught with risks. Mr. Nguyen Van Hoat, a betel nut farmer in Nhan Hoa commune, shared: “In some years, the price of betel nuts reached 85,000 – 90,000 VND, even 100,000 VND/kg, but there were also times, like in 2022 and 2023, when the price dropped to only 2,000 VND/kg and no one bought them. Betel nuts are mainly exported to China, and when they stop buying, the whole orchard is essentially ruined.” Due to the difficulty in processing and domestic consumption, unsold betel nuts are often discarded, causing waste.

Given this situation, the agricultural sector advises people not to expand cultivation areas indiscriminately based on market prices, but to develop according to plan, linked with guaranteed purchase contracts, and to seek new markets outside of China. At the same time, it is necessary to research the deep processing of betel nuts into products such as betel nut tea, essential oils, and medicinal herbs… in order to diversify products and stabilize output.

This year's betel nut harvest is bringing significant income to many rural areas, especially the villages of the Thai ethnic minority. However, for betel nuts to truly become a sustainable "green gold" crop, growers need to plan for the long term and avoid complete dependence on a single export market.