Lemon prices triple, but farmers in Nghe An remain unhappy.

This year, due to a poor lemon harvest, each lemon tree in Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa's family's orchard only yielded about 80-100 kg of fruit. Photo: Thanh Phuc

With a large area of ​​hillside garden, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa in Hamlet 2, Hung Yen Bac Commune (Hung Nguyen District) grows more than 300 lemon trees. In 20 years of growing lemons, there have been good years and bad years, but never before has Ms. Hoa seen the main crop yield so significantly lower as this year.

Ms. Hoa said: "This year the lemon crop is severely poor. For example, my family just replanted the trees five years ago, and they were thriving, but each tree only yielded about 100 kg, much less than last year."

The lemons are also smaller and not as juicy as in years with good harvests. Photo: Thanh Phuc

With over 100 lemon trees, last year, the family of Mr. Hoang Duc Khanh in Hamlet 2, Hung Yen Bac commune (Hung Nguyen district) harvested nearly 1.5 tons of fruit. This year, after harvesting everything, they only got about 7-8 quintals. "Partly due to unfavorable weather, with heavy and unseasonal rains, the flowering and fruiting rate was low. When the lemons needed water to ripen, they encountered hot, dry weather, resulting in much lower yields," Mr. Khanh explained.

The lemon crop failure is not only happening in Hung Yen Bac commune, but also in other communes such as Hung Yen Nam, Hung Trung (Hung Nguyen); Nghi Cong Nam, Nghi Cong Bac, Nghi My… (Nghi Loc), Nam Kim, Khanh Son, Thuong Tan Loc (Nam Dan)… all are facing the same situation.

Ms. Tran Thi Ly, a lemon farmer in Hamlet 2, Nghi Cong Nam Commune (Nghi Loc District), said: “My family grows nearly 400 lemon trees. In previous years, the trees were laden with fruit; during the main harvest season, we could harvest 6-7 tons of lemons. During the harvest season, we had to hire 3-5 workers to pick the lemons. But this year, the harvest is poor, with only half the yield compared to previous years. Therefore, my family is harvesting them ourselves to save costs.”

Many lemon orchards are dying due to stem borers and sap-oozing disease, affecting up to 30% of trees, leading to a decrease in lemon yield. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Not only has the lemon crop failed, but currently, many lemon orchards in Hung Yen Nam and Hung Yen Bac communes are deteriorating, with a significant number of trees dying.

Mr. Hoang Duc Chuyen, Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Hung Yen Bac commune, said: “The entire commune has nearly 200 hectares of hilly land planted with lemons. It is the main crop that brings in the primary income for the local people. However, in recent years, lemon trees have deteriorated significantly, with about 30% of the lemon trees dying due to stem borers, sap-oozing disease, and partly due to soil conditions and variety degradation. Therefore, the yield and production of lemons in the locality have also decreased sharply.”

The current price that traders are paying for lemons ranges from 12,000 to 15,000 VND/kg, three times higher than in 2021 and higher than in previous years. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Lemons are experiencing a poor harvest, while their price is quite high, tripling compared to last year. Currently, lemons sold directly from the orchards are priced at 13,000-15,000 VND/kg, whereas in the 2021 harvest season, the price only ranged from 3,000-5,000 VND/kg, and they were difficult to sell.

Mr. Nguyen Van Ai, a lemon trader from Hung Nguyen and Nghi Loc districts, said: "In previous years, people would bring dozens of tons of lemons to us every day, but this year, the quantity has decreased to about half. To have enough supply for the markets in the northern provinces, in addition to buying locally, we also have to go to the growing areas to gather lemons and call lemon growers to place orders."

The Farmers' Association of Hung Yen Bac commune encouraged its members to care for and restore native lemon trees and to introduce the four-season lemon variety for trial planting. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Despite high lemon prices and easy sales, lemon growers are unhappy due to a severe crop failure and the death of many lemon trees. Currently, many localities with a tradition of lemon cultivation are encouraging farmers to replant the dead lemon trees; at the same time, they are piloting the cultivation of four-season lemons and seedless lemons for wider distribution.