Ginger prices have skyrocketed, leaving people in Ky Son with nothing to sell.

From February every year, the ethnic minority people in the highlands...Ky SonGinger harvesting has begun, but the main harvest season starts in June. Unlike last year when it was only a little over 4,000 VND/kg, this year ginger has fetched a good price right from the beginning of the season, reaching 16,000 - 18,000 VND/kg and currently at 30,000 VND/kg.

Na Ngoi commune is a locality with a large area of ​​cultivated land.gingerIn Ky Son district, Mr. Xong Ba Denh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Na Ngoi commune, said that ginger is one of the main income-generating crops for the local people. This year, the entire commune planted 320 hectares. Farmers started harvesting in February, but the main harvest season began in June. This year, farmers are more excited because ginger is selling at a high price; from the beginning of June, traders were buying it at 18,000 VND/kg, while last year it was less than 5,000 VND/kg. This year, hundreds of households have earned significant income, with some families earning hundreds of millions of VND.

"When ginger prices were high, people in the commune rushed to harvest and sell it to traders, so by the beginning of August, they had sold all their ginger. However, from the beginning of August, the price of ginger skyrocketed to 30,000 VND/kg, and people no longer had any ginger to sell. Seeing the high price, many people went to the fields to dig up and gather ginger to sell to traders, but the quantity was not much," Mr. Xong Ba Denh said.

Mr. Nguyen Van Luan, Director of Huong Son Agricultural and Handicraft Service Cooperative (Ky Son), said: Last year, ginger could not be sold.marketPreviously, ginger from Ky Son was unsaleable and required "rescue" efforts, but this year, ginger prices have peaked, reaching their highest level in three years. This year's high price is due to exports, while ginger in other regions hasn't yet entered its harvest season. The cooperative alone has purchased 1,000 tons of ginger this season, processing it to supply small traders in major cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and exporting some abroad, with a portion being used to extract ginger essential oil.

"Due to high market demand for ginger, the cooperative is still going to localities to purchase ginger from farmers. However, it's the end of the harvest season, so farmers are harvesting less, and we can only purchase a few tons each day," Mr. Nguyen Van Luan shared.

According to data from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ky Son district, this year the total ginger cultivation area in the district is estimated at approximately 800 hectares. Ginger is most widely grown in the communes of Na Ngoi, Tay Son, Nam Can, Pha Danh, Huoi Tu, etc. Because farmers cultivate it extensively on hillside fields, the ginger yield reaches about 1.5 tons/ha. Thus, the annual ginger production of Ky Son reaches over 1,200 tons, bringing a significant source of income to the ethnic minority communities.

Ky Son ginger, a specialty product, has been granted a geographical indication registration certificate by the Intellectual Property Office since 2019. Ky Son ginger comes in two varieties: small ginger and buffalo horn ginger, with farmers usually finishing the harvest at the end of April. To date, Ky Son has three ginger-based products that have achieved 3-star OCOP (One Commune One Product) at the provincial level: fresh ginger, ginger essential oil, and ginger powder.