Nghe An: Vegetable prices drop sharply due to Covid-19 impact

Due to the market fluctuations caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, products such as green onions must be carefully selected before being sold. Photo: Viet Hung

The impact of the Covid-19 epidemic has caused vegetable growers in Quynh Luu district and Hoang Mai town to lose revenue as vegetable prices have dropped sharply in recent days.

Mr. Ho Canh Bang's family in Hamlet 7, Quynh Minh Commune (Quynh Luu) said that the family grows 3 sao of green onions and is in the harvest season. At the end of July, green onions cost 15,000 - 16,000 VND/kg, but by August 5, the price gradually decreased to only 8,000 - 9,000 VND/kg. According to Mr. Bang, not only green onions but also all kinds of vegetables have decreased in price after some central provinces were affected by the Covid-19 epidemic.

In Quynh Luong commune, people are still actively taking care of and producing vegetables, however, the pace of harvesting vegetables is not as busy as about a week ago. Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong in hamlet 9, said that after the Covid-19 epidemic reappeared in some central provinces, traders bought fewer vegetables, so the price also dropped sharply compared to nearly a week ago. However, the family still had to harvest to switch to planting another crop.

Prices of all kinds of vegetables have dropped sharply due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic. Photo by Viet Hung

Specifically, the price of green onions is currently being purchased at 8,000 - 9,000 VND/kg (previously purchased at 15,000 VND/kg); sweet cabbage has decreased from 8,000 VND/kg to 3,000 VND/kg; pickled vegetables have decreased from 9,000 VND to 2,000 VND/kg; Chinese cabbage has decreased from 10,000 VND to 5,000 VND/kg...

A vegetable trader in Quynh Minh commune said that before the Covid-19 pandemic, he transported more than 10 tons of vegetables of all kinds to Hue and Da Nang every day, but now he only collects and sells 3-5 tons. In Da Nang, people are practicing social distancing, so restaurants and eateries are closed, and the demand for vegetables has decreased sharply.

Traders collect vegetables for sale. Photo: Viet Hung

In the vegetable growing area of ​​Hoang Mai town, in recent days, the consumption of vegetables has been somewhat difficult due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic. In the vegetable areas that are about to be harvested, people are still actively taking care of them, pruning them and selling them gradually instead of harvesting them all at once like before.

Chairman of Quynh Lien Commune People's Committee, Mr. Ho Ngoc Tang, Hoang Mai Town, said that the whole commune currently has more than 200 hectares of vegetable area, up to this point, there are about more than 150 hectares of vegetable area about to be harvested. Over the past week, the price of vegetables has suddenly dropped sharply due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, affecting people's income.

2020 is a difficult year for vegetable producers in Quynh Luu area. Photo: Viet Hung

Mr. Dau Duc Nam - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Quynh Luu district said that 2020 was a difficult year for local vegetable producers. In March and April, due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, vegetable producers had difficulty selling their products, were unsold and had to sell them at low prices, but now the epidemic has returned, causing further impacts.

To solve the problem of difficult-to-sell vegetables, the locality recommends that people need to search for and expand the market in the province to supply products, and cooperate with some neighboring provinces to purchase vegetables for people to solve the crop season and prices for people.

On the production area, it is necessary to produce key vegetable varieties to supply processing factories such as green onions, not mass-produce vegetables as is currently the case./.