Nghe An: Chayote prices rise, farmers hope to recoup their investment.

As in previous years, this season, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong's family in Dai Dong hamlet, Quynh Lien commune, planted 5 sao (approximately 0.5 hectares) of chayote. Around the 7th lunar month, her family mobilized manpower to the fields to prepare the soil and sow the seeds. After 4 months of planting and caring for the plants, by the 11th lunar month, the family's lush green chayote garden began to yield fruit, with the harvesting period lasting for 5-6 months.

Chayote is a major crop in Hoang Mai district. Photo: Viet Hung

Chi Huong said that at the time of harvest, traders bought chayote at high prices, sometimes reaching 7,000 VND/kg; however, after about a month, the price started to gradually decrease; especially in the period before the Lunar New Year, the price was only 300 VND/kg. Because the purchase price was so low, there was no profit, so people had no choice but to harvest and discard it in the fields.

"For the past 3-4 days, the price..."chayote"The price has slightly increased from 300 VND/kg to 1,000 VND/kg. With 5 sao (approximately 0.5 hectares) of chayote, if the price remains at 1,000 VND until the end of the season, the family will barely cover the initial investment, not to mention the labor costs for the 6 months of care," Ms. Huong said.

The entire Quynh Lien commune has approximately 300 hectares dedicated to the cultivation of various vegetables, including about 60-70 hectares of chayote, which is harvested from November of the lunar calendar until the end of April of the following year. To avoid the situation of a bumper harvest leading to a drop in prices, this year the people of Quynh Lien commune have reduced the area planted with chayote by about 30% of the total area.

Farmers in Quynh Lien (Hoang Mai town) harvest chayote. Photo: Viet Hung

However, while prices initially rose, they gradually declined and are currently at 1,000 VND/kg. According to farmers, if the price remains at this level and may increase further, growers will only be able to cover their initial investment costs after the harvest.

Ms. Le Thi Hoa, a chayote farmer in Quynh Lien commune, shared: “Chayote is an easy crop to grow and care for, but it also requires a lot of effort. On average, if chayote is purchased at 4,000-5,000 VND/kg per sao (approximately 1000 square meters), farmers can earn a profit of 15 million VND per sao; however, since Tet (Lunar New Year) until now, the purchase price has hit rock bottom, so farmers only hope to cover their investment costs this season, and dare not think about whether they will make a profit or not.”

For a long time, chayote from Quynh Lien has been popular in the northern market, with wholesalers collecting over 100 tons of chayote daily for transportation.HanoiConsumption. Currently, Quỳnh Liên's chayote has reached 3 wholesale markets: Dịch Vọng, Long Biên, and Thường Tín (Hanoi).

The chayote product from Quynh Lien commune has been granted a collective trademark certificate by the Intellectual Property Office since 2016. Despite this, for many years, Quynh Lien chayote has faced the problem of "bumper harvest, low prices," and in some years, it has even been unsaleable, requiring rescue efforts, resulting in low income for chayote growers. Therefore, local authorities are focusing on guiding the people to proactively adapt to the changing production conditions.

Mr. Ho Ngoc Tang, Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Lien commune, said: In the coming time, the locality will encourage people to convert some areas of low-yield chayote cultivation to growing carrots and other high-value vegetables to increase income; in addition, it will strengthen efforts to find markets for chayote consumption.