What is the right direction for dragon fruit in Binh Thuan?

The shrinking market, falling dragon fruit prices, and declining quality are causing many difficulties for farmers.

Currently, dragon fruit growers in Binh Thuan province haven't even had time to celebrate the addition of a new market in New Zealand before they face the risk of plummeting prices and devastating disease outbreaks.

Since the beginning of May, dragon fruit prices in Binh Thuan have shown signs of falling again. Currently, dragon fruit purchasing centers are buying at prices ranging from 15,000 to 20,000 VND/kg depending on the variety. The quality of dragon fruit at the end of the season has also started to decline due to white spot disease and aphids appearing after the recent rains.

Furthermore, informal trade with China is showing signs of slowing down, with many Vietnamese trucks being held up at border crossings. As a result, purchasing businesses are only operating at a reduced capacity or temporarily suspending operations, rather than purchasing as aggressively as before.

Thanh Trung Enterprise is operating at a reduced capacity to help its workers.

Ms. Huynh Thi Ngoanh, owner of Thanh Trung dragon fruit purchasing and export business, said that her company is currently operating at a loss and is only running at a minimal level. Upon hearing the news that New Zealand is allowing dragon fruit imports, her company is not very enthusiastic due to the stringent standards.

"Entering new markets is almost impossible because even out of 10 businesses, it's difficult for even 1 to gain access. Firstly, the standards are too high, and secondly, there's a lack of funding," said Ms. Huynh Thi Ngoanh.

Meanwhile, throughout Binh Thuan province, people continue to plant new dragon fruit trees. Despite receiving unfavorable information about the future of dragon fruit, many people remain unconcerned because the immediate profits are too great.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Hoang, from Phu Xuan village, Ham My commune, Ham Thuan Nam district, Binh Thuan province, said that at the dragon fruit growing areas, people are still worried about the price drop, but their livelihoods depend on dragon fruit, so they continue to grow it.

Mr. Nguyen Van Sau, the owner of a dragon fruit orchard with over 3,000 trees, but who doesn't use electricity for farming and is only looking forward to the upcoming harvest, said that at the beginning of the season, he hopes the price of dragon fruit will remain at 10,000 VND/kg. Mr. Sau also hopes to find new markets to expand and develop the dragon fruit industry.

The total area of ​​dragon fruit cultivation in Binh Thuan province is currently over 20,500 hectares, of which 18,600 hectares are producing fruit. The addition of the New Zealand market is welcome, but in reality, penetrating this market, or other markets such as the US, South Korea, Japan, and Europe, is very difficult due to the need to adhere to clean production processes, irradiation, and pest control using hot steam…

Mr. Mai Kieu, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Binh Thuan province, said that currently, the concern of finding markets for both inputs and outputs, and how to establish linkages between the four stakeholders to ensure the livelihoods of farmers, is a constant worry for all levels of government in the province. The province is seeking new markets in the US, Japan, New Zealand, etc., because currently 85% of dragon fruit is still exported to China through informal channels.

The current issue is that, in addition to finding new markets, localities need to pay attention to and adjust the area of ​​dragon fruit cultivation appropriately. Recently, localities in the province have also fined many households for planting new dragon fruit trees on rice paddy land…

Furthermore, Binh Thuan province needs to pay more attention to measures to improve the quality of dragon fruit and produce safe dragon fruit according to VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards. Only then can the Binh Thuan dragon fruit brand reach further into the global market.

According to VOV