Agricultural products hit rock bottom in first half of year

1. Pepper

If in 2013 pepper price was up to 160,000 VND per kg, now it is below 60,000 VND. This is the lowest price of this agricultural product in the past 6 years.

According toVietnam Pepper Association, formerThe reason is that a significant volume of black pepper from the new crop in Cambodia is being imported strongly to Vietnam. In addition, the price decrease is also due to the decrease in purchasing demand from export enterprises and small speculators. Some processing facilities in Dong Nai and Ba Ria - Vung Tau were forced to temporarily stop purchasing for two weeks.

With the above price, pepper growers are losing money because the investment cost is high, while,Pepper is a difficult crop, susceptible to diseases, and cultivation in unsuitable soil conditions can lead to serious economic losses.

Currently, pepper prices have not shown any signs of recovery and are moving sideways at 57,000 VND per kg.

2.Watermelon

If in the first months of the year, Quang Ngai watermelon cost up to 7,500 VND per kilogram, after the April 30 - May 1 holiday, it quickly dropped to below 2,500 VND.

According to preliminary statistics from the provincial agricultural departments, in May, there were still many unsold watermelons in Binh Son, Son Tinh, Mo Duc districts and several communes in Quang Ngai City. Because the watermelons were ready for harvest but few people bought them, many farmers had to cut them and sell them for only about 1,500 - 2,000 VND per kg.In Quang Nam, the situation is similar.

Mr. Vo Thanh Anh - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Phu Ninh district said that the reason why the price of melons has dropped is because traders have stopped exporting to China, causing a backlog. The price has dropped from 6,000 VND to 1,000 VND but there are still no buyers.

Currently, watermelons in these provinces have been purchased by students and supermarkets at prices starting from VND3,000 per kilogram. This is not the first time watermelon prices have dropped. According to agricultural experts, to avoid oversupply, management agencies need to control and warn people not to plant them en masse when prices are high.

3. Pumpkin

Also falling into a situation of good harvest but low price, in May, pumpkin in Dak Lak province only cost 800-1,200 VND per kg.

Many households in this province said that the amount of pumpkins grown this season has increased while the market demand is not much. Not only that, to be purchased at 2,000 VND, traders require the fruit to weigh over 3 kg and be round and beautiful. In this province, in May, there were more than 100 tons of pumpkins in stock.

Mr. Cong Chinh - the owner of a pumpkin purchasing organization, said that he tried to collect the remaining pumpkins at 2,000 VND per kg and sell them in Ho Chi Minh City at 5,000 VND, due to the cost of collection, transportation and loss.

This is not the first time pumpkin prices in this province have dropped dramatically. Previously, at the end of July 2017, people also encountered the same situation.

4. Radish

In March, in Trang Viet commune (Me Linh district, Hanoi), there was a continuous situation of radishes being dumped. If before Tet, the price of radishes was about 14,000 VND per kg, after Tet, it dropped to only 500 VND per kg.

Mr. Vu Van Ky, Chairman of Dong Cao Cooperative, said that the estimated amount of radishes lost due to unsold and damaged products since Tet is 2,000 tons; the remaining amount at that time was about 3,000 tons. Most domestic supermarket chains have come to buy and called for non-profit sales to help farmers overcome difficulties. The purchase price is 2,000-4,000 VND per kg.

According to the leader of the Department of Crop Production, the reason why radish prices decreased after Tet when vegetable prices decreased was because many traders wanted to extend the harvest time to wait for higher prices at the time of the vegetable crop. However, due to the warm weather, the radishes had bloomed, became old and spongy, and their quality had decreased, so they could not be sold. Traders did not return to buy the products, forcing farmers to uproot them to free up land and continue growing other vegetables.

5. Potatoes

Also falling into the same situation as radishes, after Tet, potatoes in northern provinces such as Nam Dinh and Lang Son dropped in price to only 3,000-4,000 VND per kg, a 6-fold decrease compared to before.

Farmers in Lang Son said that the purchase price this year has decreased because the farmers had a good potato crop but there were no traders to buy, so the business was sluggish, many areas of potatoes were rotten and damaged. In the humid weather, potatoes cannot be stored for long, many households had to unload and process them for pigs and chickens to eat.

According to the Department of Crop Production (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), the situation of surplus output in specialized vegetable growing areas in the North does not occur widely but only locally. Currently, the authorities are conducting a general review to guide localities to adjust production plans accordingly.