Nghe An shallot price drops, farmers harvest sparingly
In key onion growing areas of Nghe An, the main harvest season is underway, but prices have dropped sharply and sales are difficult, so farmers are harvesting sparingly...
At this time, the shallots have shed all their leaves, the bulbs are old and firm, but in the shallot fields in Nghi Lam commune, there are only a few people harvesting. Mr. Sy Cuong's family (Nghi Lam commune, Nghi Loc) grows 2 sao of shallots. In previous years, at the beginning of the season, the price of shallots was high, so they harvested and sold everything. This year, the price of shallots is low, has dropped sharply, and it is difficult to sell, so they only dig when customers ask to buy.
Not only Mr. Cuong's family, but most onion growers in Nghi Lam commune are also harvesting shallots sparingly. If there are customers who order, they dig up the shallots to sell, otherwise they have to temporarily stop and wait for the price to go up.
According to statistics, in the 2025 onion crop, Nghi Lam commune will have 85 hectares of onions, with an estimated yield of 11 tons/hectare. If last year, from the beginning of the season, the price of shallots was at 60,000-70,000 VND/kg, then gradually decreased to 40,000-50,000 VND/kg, now the price of shallots only fluctuates at 25,000-28,000 VND/kg.
Ms. Le Thi Duyen, an agricultural official of Nghi Lam commune, said: “This year, onions have a good harvest and high yield, but the price has dropped and they are difficult to sell, so people are facing many difficulties. Currently, people are harvesting sparingly but only “keeping onions” in the fields for a short time, because if left for too long, the onions will be too old and float to the surface, change color, and deteriorate, making them difficult to sell. Moreover, onions must also be harvested to be able to plant other crops.”
As the person in charge of purchasing shallots from people in the commune to import from other places, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lam has temporarily stopped purchasing because she has no outlet. “These days, the price has dropped, I have contacted everywhere but have not been able to import shallots, so I am temporarily stopping purchasing. The difficulty is that shallots are difficult to preserve, if left for a long time they will lose water, causing weight loss and capital loss,” Ms. Lam said.
In Nghi Thuan commune (Nghi Loc), where there are more than 80 hectares of shallots, the price is also falling. Currently, shallots are in the main harvest season of the year, the rows of shallots have shed their leaves, but people are worried because traders are buying sparingly, causing the price of shallots to drop.
"My family grows more than 4 sao of shallots. This year, the onions are big and beautiful, but the price is too low, only half of last year. Nearly 8 months of planting, caring for, and digging the onions also takes a lot of time and effort, but with the current price, people hardly make any profit," said Ms. Hoang Thi Nham (Khanh Thien hamlet, Nghi Thuan commune).
Mrs. Nham added that at this time last year, to meet orders for traders, onion prices were high, so she had to mobilize her whole family to go digging for onions, taking advantage of the afternoon, and even had to hire more people. This year, onions are hard to sell, so she is the only one going to the fields to harvest them, about 20-30kg each day.
"For one sao of shallots, we have to spend 7-8 million VND on land preparation, seeds, fertilizer, straw, rice husks, etc. After 8 months of care, harvesting is also labor-intensive. With the current price of shallots, each sao brings in about 13 million VND, after deducting expenses, there is only 5 million VND left for 8 months of care and harvesting," Ms. Nham sighed.
According to statistics from the Department of Agriculture of Nghi Loc district, there are nearly 300 hectares of shallots grown in the area, with a yield of 9-10 tons/ha. Of which, shallots are grown most concentratedly in Nghi Thuan, Nghi Lam, Nghi Van communes... Although shallots in Nghi Thuan and Nghi Lam communes have achieved 3-star OCOP certification and are produced according to VietGAP standards, the output still depends on traders. When the market is saturated, prices fall sharply, and the consumption of shallots faces many difficulties.
Unable to rely entirely on traders, many households have managed to find ways to consume through social networks, transport to retail at traditional markets, connect with companies processing dried eels and dried onions to sell, send vehicles to acquaintances in other provinces to sell for them... However, with the quantity up to thousands of tons, this small retail consumption channel is not enough. Linking to find outlets for onion products, growing onions in line with market demand needs to be of interest to localities.
