Farmers in Dien Chau district strike it rich with chili peppers for export.

At this time, the harvest of chili peppers for export is nearing its end in Dien Phong commune (Dien Chau district). Farmers are all delighted with the outstanding yield this season. Each hectare has reached 35-40 tons, about 5 tons/ha higher than in 2024, and 10 tons/ha higher than in 2023.

Mr. Que Van Son, residing in Dong Ho hamlet, Dien Phong commune, cultivates 3 sao (approximately 0.3 hectares) of chili peppers. This is his third year growing the local chili variety, so he is well-versed in planting, caring for, and managing pests and diseases. As a result, his chili yield reaches nearly 2 tons per sao. At the beginning of the season, chili prices fluctuated from 13,000-15,000 VND/kg, sometimes reaching 20,000 VND/kg. After deducting all expenses, he still earned a profit of 20 million VND per sao.

This year, for the winter-spring chili crop, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Dien's family in Nha Nghi hamlet planted nearly 3 sao (approximately 3,000 square meters) of chili peppers under a contract farming arrangement between Dien Phong Agricultural Cooperative and a business. Favorable weather conditions resulted in good chili growth, with large, uniformly sized, red, and beautiful peppers. From this area, her family has harvested about 2 tons of chili peppers so far this season; if all the peppers are harvested, the total yield is estimated at 1.8 tons per sao.

At the beginning of the season, when harvesting green chilies, the cooperative bought them at 12,000-13,000 VND/kg. During the peak season, when the chilies ripened, the price increased significantly, fluctuating between 15,000-20,000 VND/kg. "High yields and sharply rising prices meant that each plot yielded a profit of 20 million VND or more. Now that the harvest season is over and prices have dropped, farmers are still making a good profit thanks to the high prices of previous crops," Ms. Dien said.

For the 2024-2025 Winter-Spring crop season, Dien Phong commune has over 10 hectares of chili peppers for export. This is the third year that farmers in Dien Phong commune have been cultivating the export-quality chili pepper variety, so they are familiar with techniques such as plastic mulching, furrow irrigation, pruning, trellis construction, and proper fertilizer application. As a result, the chili plants are growing and developing well, and yields have increased significantly.

Mr. Que Van Duyen, Director of the Dien Phong Agricultural Service Cooperative, said: “For each plot of chili peppers, farmers invest 3 million VND and spend about 2.5 months caring for them before harvesting. Thanks to good disease management, the chili plants are disease-free and yield high production. Chili pepper yield reaches 35-40 tons/ha. In addition, the chili peppers are purchased by the company at a higher price than last year, from 5,000 VND/kg or more, and the purchase price is stable, so chili farmers are making a good profit, and everyone is happy. Each hectare yields a profit of 200 million VND or more.”

Based on his years of experience growing chili peppers under a cooperative model, Mr. Duyen believes that, in addition to following the technical procedures agreed upon with the company and harvesting according to the company's standards, the favorable conditions for farmers in Dien Phong commune are the soil and climate suitable for the "chili pepper" variety – which fetches a higher price than the "chili bird" variety. Furthermore, by planting early, starting in November of last year and harvesting in January of the following year, they avoid the harvesting time of other chili-growing regions nationwide.

Meanwhile, the cold weather at this time of year increases the demand for chili peppers imported from China and South Korea. Therefore, when supply is limited and demand increases, chili prices will rise. During the peak season, from April to July, chili prices will decrease due to abundant supply.

Furthermore, this year's chili crop in the northern and south-central regions of Vietnam faced unfavorable weather conditions due to storms and heavy rain, resulting in reduced yield and quality of chili peppers. This led to a decrease in supply, causing chili prices to rise.

Thanh Phuc