Nghia Dan farmers are in trouble because orange prices have dropped to the lowest level of 3,500 VND/kg.

Ms. Loc Thi Linh’s orange plot in Hong Cuong hamlet, Nghia Hong commune has 600 orange trees in the harvest stage. Although she has been growing oranges for more than 10 years, her family has never been as frustrated as this year because of low selling prices. Currently, the selling price at the garden is about 5,000 VND/kg; although the price has decreased, consumption is still slow.

CMs. Linh said that her family grows Van Du oranges, but the productivity is gradually decreasing because the exploitation cycle is almost over. The oranges are old, so at the end of this year, they will switch to planting other trees for better efficiency.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Linh - Vice Chairman of Nghia Hong Commune People's Committee added: This year's orange harvest was sold at the beginning of the season for 15,000 - 17,000 VND/kg, while households with poor investment and substandard orange varieties sold oranges at the same price of 3,500 - 7,000 VND/kg. In the coming time, the commune will continue to train orange growers to guide pest control and increase productivity per unit area...

Cheap oranges cause farmers in Nghia Dan to lose crops. Photo: Hoang Hang

Currently, Nghia Hieu commune has about 200 hectares of oranges and tangerines of all kinds. Up to this point, only about 70% of the oranges have been sold, the remaining cheap oranges are difficult to sell. According to Mr. Ngo Sy Binh - Chairman of Nghia Hieu Commune People's Committee, the current price of oranges has decreased by half compared to last year. The reason is that at the beginning of the season, some traders brought Cao Phong oranges to "drown" the price of oranges. When Cao Phong oranges were in season, oranges in the area ripened and fell, so people rushed to sell, causing the price to drop. In addition, this year the weather was unfavorable, so many oranges fell. The market is unstable, so this year, only 70% of the oranges in the commune have been sold.

Nghia Dan has more than 1,000 hectares of oranges, but many orange areas have fallen into the old orange system, so the yield and quality of oranges tend to decrease. Many farmers want to switch to planting some new types of trees to improve the soil, then continue to plant orange trees. However, the concern of farmers is accessing standard varieties, science and technology, and agricultural materials because investing in long-term orange trees and taking care of them is difficult to bring economic efficiency.

Mr. Phan Trung Vinh - Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Nghia Hieu Commune added: 2018 was a difficult year for orange farmers in Nghia Dan. People want to be provided with clean standard seeds, pesticides, guaranteed fertilizers, and especially want scientists to come and check the soil quality before planting new trees.