Mass cultivation of turmeric, Nghe An farmers lose crops

At the end of 2016, when the price of fresh turmeric was high, from 10,000 - 13,000 VND/kg, Mr. Le Van Thu's family in Hamlet 2, Van Thanh Commune (Yen Thanh) invested in growing 5 sao of turmeric.

However, by the end of 2017, the price of turmeric here suddenly dropped to only 5,000 - 7,000 VND/kg. Seeing that, Mr. Thu's family did not harvest, continued to take care of it for another year, hoping that the price of turmeric would increase again. Unexpectedly, when Mr. Thu decided to harvest turmeric, the turmeric starch processing facilities in the province paid 4,000 - 5,000 VND/kg. Although the price was very low, he still agreed to hire workers to harvest turmeric, because he was afraid that, as the main harvest season approached, the price would be cheaper.

“The money spent on buying seeds, fertilizers, hiring workers to plant and take care of the plants… in 2 years, maybe we can break even” - Mr. Le Van Thu confided.

Ms. Hue Son in Cua Den hamlet, Nghia Dung commune, Tan Ky district does not want to harvest turmeric because the price is too low. Photo: Xuan Hoang.

Mrs. Hue Son's family in Cua Den hamlet, Nghia Dung commune (Tan Ky) has nearly 1 hectare of turmeric planted since the beginning of 2018. Standing in front of the turmeric garden starting to shed leaves, Mrs. Hue was sad: When the leaves of the turmeric plant fall, it can be harvested, but this year, customers are paying a very low price for turmeric, 4,000 VND/kg, so she doesn't want to sell.

Ms. Hue said: If the price is too low, she will take care of it for another year. However, to make the turmeric grow well in the second year, she must buy corn and plant it at the base to let new sprouts grow, otherwise the old turmeric will rot.

Turmeric roots are purchased to process turmeric starch. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Mr. Le Dinh Tam, an agricultural land officer of Ky Tan commune (Tan Ky), said: In 2018, there were only more than 10 hectares left in the area. Currently, some families have started harvesting hybrid turmeric areas, but the selling price is only 4,000 - 5,000 VND/kg, while the small-root turmeric variety will be harvested after January. However, at this rate, this year the price of turmeric will decrease sharply.

Tan Ky district is a locality with many advantages for growing turmeric on hillside land. According to the assessment of the district's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the total turmeric area in the district is currently about 100 hectares. The reason for the large turmeric area in the locality is that before 2016, the price of turmeric was high, so people rushed to grow turmeric, while the district did not have a plan for turmeric growing area.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Minh's family in hamlet 17, Nghi Kieu commune (Nghi Loc) grows 3 hectares of turmeric, but low prices have caused the family to lose nearly half of their crop. Photo by Lam Tung

Not only Tan Ky district, but farmers in other localities have also rushed to grow turmeric since the beginning of 2018. For example, Yen Thanh district currently has about 50 hectares of turmeric, Nghia Dan district, Quynh Luu district, Thai Hoa town... also grow quite a lot. Although people are competing to buy turmeric starch processing machines, the price of turmeric is still low, difficult to sell.

According to Mr. Nguyen Tien Duc - Head of the Plant Protection Department, the province does not have a plan for turmeric growing area, but because turmeric tubers were previously purchased at high prices to be processed into turmeric starch, farmers competed to grow them. In many places, people used hilly land, including home garden land to grow, leading to a surplus. The exact number is not known, but the whole province currently has an estimated 500 - 700 hectares of turmeric.

"Faced with that situation, farmers need to consider and not compete to grow turmeric, leading to a situation of "supply exceeding demand", wasting land and investment and care" - Mr. Nguyen Tien Duc recommended./.