Nghe An oyster specialty is cheaper than ever

Currently, households in An Hoa, Quynh Tho, Son Hai communes (Quynh Luu)... are entering the harvest season.oysters(likened to a panacea). Under the mangrove rivers, people row boats to the farming area to scoop up each string of oysters.

An oyster farm on a mangrove river in An Hoa commune (Quynh Luu). Photo: Viet Hung

Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh in An Hoa commune said, “My family has raised 5 oyster rafts in the Mo River. After nearly 1 year of raising, we have now entered the harvest season. This year, the weather is favorable, the oysters grow well and produce high yields. However, consumption has decreased so the price is unprecedentedly low. Each kilogram of oysters sold at this time is only 90,000 - 100,000 VND/kg, while at the time after Tet last year the price was up to 200,000 - 220,000 VND/kg.

After the people in Quynh Luu harvest oysters, they will gather along both sides of the National and Provincial Highways to both remove the oysters and sell them to tourists passing by. Seeing us stop to ask to buy, Mrs. Ho Thi Tinh - an oyster farmer said: "Oysters have never been as cheap as this year. Although the price has dropped so much, purchasing power is also low; a raft of oysters earned 5 million last year, but this year it is only 2 million."

Quynh Luu residents harvest oysters. Photo: Viet Hung

In the whole district of Quynh Luu and Hoang Mai town, there are hundreds of households raising oysters along the mangrove rivers. Oysters have also become a specialty of Nghe An sea, considered a "miracle drug". Oyster farming has helped the lives of people here become more prosperous.

However, the Covid-19 epidemic has had a major impact on the domestic tourism industry, affecting oyster farmers in Nghe An. If every year, a large amount of oysters are consumed by tourists visiting the historical site of Con Temple (Hoang Mai town) and beautiful beaches in Quynh Luu, stimulating the development of aquaculture and seafood processing in the region, this year, restaurants do not import oysters, making farmers not know who to sell to.

The sharp drop in oyster prices has caused oyster farmers to lose revenue. Photo: Viet Hung

Mr. Hoang Ngoc Thuy - Head of the Economic - Infrastructure Department of Hoang Mai town said: "In the town, oyster farming on the river is strongly developed, usually after Tet people harvest and this is the time for them to make a profit after nearly 1 year of farming. However, due to market fluctuations, the prolonged epidemic has affected the price of this specialty. The town also encourages people to expand sales channels, find markets to contribute to rescuing sea oysters, helping people have more capital to reinvest in the following crops."