Ky Son ginger price drops, difficult to sell

Ginger crop in Tay Son commune, Ky Son district is good but difficult to sell. Photo: Van Truong

Ms. Mua Chong Ho in Lu Thanh village, Tay Son commune, Ky Son district shared: Ginger prices have dropped in the last two periods, from the highest price of 25,000 VND/kg, down to only 7,000 VND/kg in early March 2022, now ginger continues to drop in price to 5,000 VND/kg. Currently, my family still has about 4.5 tons of unharvested ginger due to difficulty in selling.

Mr. Vu No Denh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Tay Son Commune (Ky Son) said: The whole commune has over 30 hectares of ginger, mainly concentrated in Lu Thanh, Dong Tren, and Huoi Giang 1 villages. Currently, the whole commune has only harvested about 30% of the area, with over 100 tons of ginger remaining. The slow consumption of ginger affects the livelihoods of local people.

Ginger is gathered at a purchasing unit in Muong Xen town, Ky Son district. Photo: Van Truong

Mr. Nguyen Van Luan, Head of Huong Son Agricultural Service - Small Industry Cooperative, Muong Xen town (a unit specializing in purchasing ginger in Ky Son area) added: The reason why ginger prices have been low and difficult to sell in recent years is because Ky Son ginger is not beautiful in appearance, so it is difficult to compete with other localities.

Not to mention the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in the past few years, traders have returned less, making exports to other countries difficult. Currently, the unit has only purchased about 150 tons of ginger for local people.

Ginger is gathered in Ta Ca commune, Ky Son district. Photo: Van Truong

According to the report of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ky Son district, from 2021, over 800 hectares of ginger will be planted in the district, mainly in the communes of Na Ngoi, Dooc May, Tay Son, Nam Can, Huoi Tu, Keng Du, and Muong Long. These are areas with cool weather, ginger is grown halfway up the mountain, so it is suitable for growth and development, giving a fairly high yield of 5-6 tons of ginger/ha.

Ginger processing at a purchasing unit in Muong Xen town. Photo: Van Truong

Currently, the whole district has only harvested about 300 hectares of ginger, with over 500 hectares yet to be harvested, with over 5,000 tons of ginger remaining. By the end of April 2023, if not all are harvested, the quality of ginger will be affected.

Ginger is packaged and waiting for traders to come buy it in Ky Son district. Photo: Van Truong

Ky Son ginger specialty products have been granted a certificate of geographical indication registration by the Intellectual Property Office since 2019. Ky Son ginger has 2 types: ginger and buffalo horn ginger, farmers usually finish harvesting at the end of April.