Nghe An shallots 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, only a few people are 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 is difficult to sell, so they only dig up when customers ask to buy.
Not only Mr. Cuong's family, but most onion growers in Nghi Lam commune are also harvesting shallots sparingly. When customers 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 has 85 hectares of onions, with an estimated yield of 11 tons/ha. If last year, from the beginning of the crop, 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 moderately 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 local people to import from other places, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lam has temporarily stopped purchasing because she has no outlet. “These past few days, the price has dropped, I have contacted many places but have not been able to import shallots, so I have temporarily stopped 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 shallots are big and beautiful, but the price is too low, only half of last year's. Nearly 8 months of planting, caring for, and digging the shallots 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).
Ms. 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 dig for onions, taking advantage of the afternoon, and even hiring extra people. This year, onions are hard to sell, so she is the only one going to the fields to harvest them, about 20-30kg per 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 laborious. With the current price of shallots, each sao brings in about 13 million VND, after deducting expenses, we only have 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 found ways to sell their products through social networks, transport them to retail markets, connect with companies that process dried eels and dried onions to sell, and ask acquaintances in other provinces to sell them for them. However, with the volume reaching thousands of tons, this small-scale consumption channel is not enough. Linking to find outlets for onion products and growing onions in line with market demand needs to be of interest to localities.
