Nghe An: Chayote costs 300 VND/kg, people dump it into piles to make fertilizer

(Baonghean.vn) - Chayote prices have dropped dramatically, to only 300 VND/kg in the garden, hundreds of households in Quynh Lien commune (Hoang Mai town, Nghe An) have piled up the fruit to feed cows or use as fertilizer for their fields.

Chayote trees bearing fruit on the trellis, being thrown away on the ground or piled up with no one to buy them is a "heartbreaking" scene in Quynh Lien commune, Hoang Mai.

Chayote is piled up to feed cattle or buried in the ground as fertilizer. Photo: Quynh Luong

Quynh Lien Commune has more than 300 households growing chayote on an area of ​​over 80 hectares. Chayote is planted from August every year and harvested from around November to March of the following year. This is considered one of the main agricultural crops, bringing stable income to the locality.

However, this year this fruit is not priced well. At the beginning of the season, farmers still sold it for 5,000 - 7,000 VND/kg, but the price dropped rapidly, especially after the Lunar New Year, the price of chayote dropped dramatically, currently only 300 VND/kg in the garden.

Although chayote still bears fruit for several more months, some households have already destroyed the chayote trellis. Photo: Quynh Luong

“I just hope that traders will come to buy them. It’s too painful to throw away all the plants when they bear fruit. This year, I planted 3 sao of chayote, investing more than 20 million VND in seeds and fertilizer. If the price of chayote increases in the future, I might have enough capital. Otherwise, I have to accept a heavy loss,” said Le Van Chien, hamlet 9, Quynh Lien commune.

Mr. Ho Van To (Hamlet 6, Quynh Lien) is dismantling his chayote trellis to plant another type of plant. Photo: Quynh Luong

According to Mr. Ho Ngoc Tang, Vice Chairman of Quynh Lien Commune People's Committee, the reason for the price drop of chayote is that this year the weather is quite favorable, vegetables and fruits grow well, and chayote in other areas also has a good harvest, leading to supply exceeding demand and prices falling. However, Quynh Lien currently exports about 100 tons to Hanoi every day. In addition, it imports to some southern provinces such as Quang Binh, Hue, Da Nang, etc.

The Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Lien Commune also added: "Chau su is the main winter crop of the commune, bringing economic efficiency. In the coming time, the locality will guide people to grow according to the plan to avoid the situation of supply exceeding demand. At the same time, we are in the process of building a clean vegetable brand for chayote to increase the value of the product."

Quynh Luong