Pineapple rot, Nghe An farmers lose tens of billions of dong

(Baonghean.vn) - These days, pineapple growers in Tan Thang commune (Quynh Luu) are restless because many pineapple fields nearing harvest time are affected by pests and rotten buds, causing tens of billions of dong in damage.

Never before has Mr. Nguyen Cong Nhuan's family in hamlet 2/9 been in such a dire situation as this year because 4 hectares of pineapples that were growing well suddenly had rotten buds and were damaged. To invest in planting 4 hectares of pineapples, from August to October, Mr. Nhuan spent about 200 million VND to prepare the land, buy seeds and fertilizers. After nearly 2 months of planting and caring, the pineapple area developed well, promising to harvest fruit in August 2018. However, from around mid-November 2017, some pineapple areas suddenly had wilted tops, died gradually and then spread to the family's 4 hectares of pineapples. After checking and determining, the cause of the wilted pineapples was rotten buds.

"When the pineapples were found to have rotten buds, my family bought medicine to spray to prevent the disease from spreading widely, but it was ineffective. The entire 4 hectares of pineapples were rotten, causing hundreds of millions of dong in damage," Mr. Nhuan shared.

Since mid-November 2017, 4 hectares of pineapples belonging to Mr. Nguyen Cong Nhuan's family in hamlet 2/9, Tan Thang commune (Quynh Luu) suddenly had yellow leaves and rotten buds. Photo: Thuy Nga

Sharing the same situation, Mr. Luong Duc Thuoc's family in Bac Thang hamlet was even more heartbroken when nearly 1 hectare of pineapples, which were about to be harvested, suddenly rotted, the fruits were stunted and withered. All the effort and capital invested in nearly 1 hectare of pineapples suddenly went to waste, causing a loss of more than 150 million VND.

“If the pineapples had not rotted, the family would have harvested the fruit by the end of December, with an expected yield of 32 tons/ha, and after deducting expenses, the profit would have been nearly 100 million VND. Unexpectedly, the pineapples were lost on the day of harvest. Now we don’t know where to get the money to reproduce,” Mr. Thuoc said sadly.

Due to rot disease, many pineapple trees of Tan Thang people are wilting, dying and smelling bad. Photo: Viet Hung

In 2017, Tan Thang commune planted nearly 600 pineapples, including newly planted, being cared for and preparing for harvest. For each hectare of pineapple, farmers invested in seedlings, fertilizers, planting and care costs from 60 to 80 million VND. If everything goes well, on average, farmers earn 150 million VND per hectare of pineapple, after deducting all expenses, the profit is nearly 80 to 100 million VND.

According to the people, the reason why the pineapples are rotten is because this year there has been a lot of rain, there is little light for the pineapples to photosynthesize, causing the pineapples to become sick. The phenomenon of rotten pineapples started appearing in September and only in a few households, but then many other households' pineapples also suffered from the above phenomenon and it has lasted until now.

Mr. Luong Duc Thuoc in Bac Thang hamlet was devastated when nearly 1 hectare of pineapples that were about to be harvested suddenly rotted, causing a loss of more than 150 million VND. Photo: Viet Hung

Immediately after discovering that pineapples were infected with the disease, people bought medicine to spray but it was ineffective and the pineapple area spread further. According to statistics from the Commune People's Committee, out of the total of nearly 600 hectares of pineapples being grown, about 150 hectares of pineapples were infected with rot disease, of which 85 hectares of pineapples had fruit and were ready to be harvested; 65 hectares of newly planted pineapples were growing. With the area of ​​pineapples infected with rot disease, people in Tan Thang Commune suffered a loss of about 16 billion VND.

About 85 hectares of pineapples that were about to be harvested are wilting, stunted and dying. Photo: Viet Hung

Mr. Lang Dinh Liem - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Tan Thang Commune, Quynh Luu District, the locality identified pineapple as the main crop in the locality, accounting for about 65 - 68% of agricultural crops. Pineapple is one of the main crops, contributing to increasing the total production value in the locality, helping many households increase their income and improve their lives. The disease of pineapple trees has caused great damage to farmers. Therefore, households in Tan Thang Commune hope that the authorities at all levels will have policies to support, especially capital sources for people to continue to restore production./.

Viet Hung - Thuy Nga