With the early summer heat, cooling fruits are attracting customers.
The early summer heatwave across Nghe An province has led to a surge in demand for fruits and refreshing drinks. The vibrant market brings joy to farmers in the growing regions as they enter a harvest season where products are easily sold and fetch good prices.
CCooling fruits are in high demand.
In early April, Nghe An province began experiencing the first heatwaves of the season, with temperatures rising and often feeling muggy. This weather pattern led to a significant increase in demand for fresh fruit, juices, and refreshing drinks, resulting in a vibrant fruit market.
Due to the hot weather, every time she goes to the market, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Trang (Truong Vinh ward) buys sugarcane or pineapple juice to cool down her family. While previously she only bought a small amount of fruit like bananas and watermelon, now she buys about 1 liter of sugarcane or pineapple juice every day. “The weather is so hot, so I often buy fruit to chill for the whole family to eat and cool down. Besides, fruit juices and smoothies also help to cool the body and boost immunity,” Ms. Trang said.
Also choosing to cool off with fresh fruit, Ms. Nguyen Thi My An (Thanh Vinh ward) said that instead of buying ready-made drinks, she proactively buys fruit to make her own juice to save money and ensure hygiene. “These days, juice shops are very crowded, sometimes I have to wait 10-15 minutes. So I buy fruit and make my own juice at home. Even at the beginning of the hot season, the price of pineapple has increased to 15,000-25,000 VND/fruit, and oranges and watermelons have also seen a slight price increase,” Ms. An shared.
Increased consumer demand has forced small traders to constantly restock. Ms. Hoang Thi Dinh, a pineapple trader at Hung Dung market (Truong Vinh ward), said that in the past week, the amount of pineapples sold has increased by 20-30% compared to before. Each day, including selling whole pineapples and juicing, she sells about 100 kg of pineapples.
According to vendors, this is currently fruit season, so the supply is quite abundant and diverse, and prices are relatively stable. Watermelon prices range from 10,000–15,000 VND/kg, dragon fruit from 20,000–35,000 VND/kg, and mandarin oranges from 20,000–25,000 VND/kg… However, demand for cooling fruits like pineapple, oranges, watermelon, and fresh coconut has increased sharply, with prices rising by about 10–20%.
Besides fresh fruit, juice stalls are also busier than usual. Customers prefer pure or blended juices such as pineapple-carrot, pineapple-apple, grapefruit-guava, orange-carrot-tomato, etc., priced at 15,000–35,000 VND per glass. Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Hoan, owner of a juice stall on Nguyen Canh Chan Street (Thanh Vinh Ward), said that in the past few days, the number of customers has increased by 30–40% compared to before, mainly choosing products made from natural ingredients that help detoxify the body.
Sugarcane juice is also in high demand during the hot early summer days. Ms. Ho Thi Huong, a sugarcane juice vendor on Nguyen Cong Tru Street, said: “In just one hot morning, I sold 3 tons of sugarcane and hundreds of liters of sugarcane juice. Currently, sugarcane juice costs about 20,000 VND/liter, and sugarcane is sold wholesale at 4.5 million VND/ton. Many wholesale customers from other markets and localities come to buy.”
Not only sugarcane juice, but fresh coconuts are also selling well. Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh, owner of a coconut shop on Hong Son Street, said she sells hundreds of Siamese coconuts every day. Wholesale price is 15,000–17,000 VND/coconut, retail price is 20,000–25,000 VND/coconut; pre-cut coconuts in bottles cost about 30,000 VND/bottle.
Besides familiar fruits, mulberries and apricots (including those of the "rice plum," "peach-cheeked plum," and wild plum) are also attracting customers. Many people buy them to make syrup or preserve them in sugar to cool down. Currently, the price of mulberries ranges from 40,000 to 45,000 VND/kg. According to vendors, the mulberries are purchased from residents in Vinh Loc ward, harvested in the morning and brought to the market, so the fruit is fresh and popular with consumers. They can sell up to 100 kg of mulberries each day.
Farmers in Nghe An province are excitedly harvesting their crops.
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The surge in demand for fruits and refreshing drinks during the early summer heat not only livens up the market but also creates favorable outlets for many agricultural products. In areas growing pineapples, mulberries, and sugarcane for refreshing drinks, people are entering the harvest season with enthusiasm as prices remain relatively high and purchasing power is stable.
These days, pineapple farmers in Quynh Thang and Quynh Tam communes are beginning to harvest their new crop. Due to the hot weather and increased demand, traders are buying pineapples directly from the fields at prices ranging from 10,000 to 13,000 VND per fruit (weighing 1 kg or more), higher than the same period last year.
Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thang, a farmer cultivating over 5 hectares of pineapples in Quynh Thang commune, said: “At the beginning of the season, prices were already quite good, and traders came directly to the fields to buy, so the farmers felt very secure. At this price, after deducting expenses, pineapple growers can earn a profit of about 80-100 million VND per hectare.”
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To avoid pressure on consumption during a peak harvest season, many households proactively manage pineapple production to produce fruit in staggered batches, extending the harvesting period. This approach not only helps regulate supply but also effectively utilizes market demand throughout the hot season, contributing to increased production efficiency.
The harvest atmosphere is also bustling in the mulberry orchards in Vinh Loc and Vinh Phu wards. This is the time when mulberries ripen, with abundant and juicy fruit. Ms. Pham Thi Ky's mulberry orchard in Xuan Trung hamlet (Vinh Loc ward) has about 40 trees and started harvesting in early March. According to Ms. Ky, this year the weather has been favorable, the yield is quite good, and the selling price has increased compared to last year, reaching 50,000 - 60,000 VND/kg at times, so growers are very happy.
Mr. Luong Van Cong's family grows nearly 10 mulberry trees in their garden. Each day, they harvest about 3-4 kg, selling it at the nearby market for nearly 300,000 VND. "Mulberries don't require much investment, little care, and they sell well. Compared to growing short-term vegetables, they are more profitable. The mulberries sell as soon as they ripen, so it's very convenient," Mr. Cong shared.
According to mulberry growers, mulberries have the advantage of being easy to sell and are popular with consumers for eating fresh, making syrup, or making beverages. Some establishments even purchase them to process into syrup or wine, contributing to expanding the market. Therefore, even though the harvesting period only lasts about a month, mulberry trees still provide a considerable income for the people.
Along with mulberries and pineapples, sugarcane, a refreshing beverage, is also being harvested in many localities to supply the juice market. During hot weather, the demand for sugarcane juice increases sharply, driving up prices. In the sugarcane-growing region of Van Du, farmers are busy harvesting to supply juice-making facilities. Currently, the entire Van Du commune has about 87 hectares of sugarcane for juice production, with an average income of about 300 million VND per hectare.
In the communes of Quang Chau, Vinh Tuong, Nhan Hoa, Bach Ngoc, etc., people are also in the midst of harvesting sugarcane for juice extraction. According to growers, with an average yield of about 5 tons per sao (approximately 1000 square meters), and a selling price of 3.5 - 4 million VND per ton, each sao brings in an income of 17 - 20 million VND, much higher than traditional crops.
It can be seen that the early season heat not only increases the consumption of fruits and beverages but also creates favorable conditions for many agricultural products to enter the harvest season with promising prices. From mulberries and pineapples to sugarcane for refreshing drinks, stable outlets help people feel secure in their production, increase their income, and at the same time contribute to meeting market demand during the peak hot months.