Chayote in Nghe An is only sold for 500 VND/kg.

Located along the coastal tourist route through Quynh Lien commune (Hoang Mai town), this is the time when people here are harvesting chayote. A lot of chayote is gathered on the shore waiting for traders to come and buy.

Mr. Ho Van Dong in Hamlet 8, Quynh Lien Commune said that currently, it is the main season to harvest chayote. This year, the weather is favorable, so the yield is high and the fruit is abundant. However, at this time, traders only buy for 500 VND/kg, so people are not interested in harvesting. If this situation continues, all households will lose their crops.

Mr. Ho Van Dong in Quynh Lien commune, who grows 12 sao of chayote, said that with the price of 500 VND/kg, if the season continues, each sao will lose more than 10 million VND. Photo: Viet Hung

“My family planted 12 sao of chayote in the 7th lunar month and has been harvesting for 2 months now. At first, the price was stable at 3,000 VND/kg and then dropped to 2,500 VND; for more than a week now, the selling price at the field has been only 500 VND. If this price continues, people will lose 10 million VND per sao of chayote,” said Mr. Dong.

The entire Quynh Lien commune has more than 300 hectares of specialized vegetable cultivation. In the winter-spring crop, people here grow more than 70 hectares of chayote. According to statistics from the commune People's Committee, on average, 1 hectare yields nearly 100 tons; with 70 hectares of chayote, the annual output reaches nearly 7,000 tons.

Traders buy chayote from farmers in the fields. Photo: Viet Hung

During this time, the price of chayote dropped dramatically to only 500 VND/kg, affecting people's income. According to chayote growers, after more than 3 months of planting, the fruit will be harvested, the harvest period lasts about 5 months. If the purchase price reaches over 2,000 VND/kg, farmers will make a profit, but if it is below 2,000 VND or even 500 VND/kg as it is now, they will suffer a loss.

Although the price has dropped to 500 VND/kg, people continue to take care of the product and wait for the price to increase. Photo: Viet Hung

Mr. Ho Ngoc Tang - Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Lien Commune (Hoang Mai Town) said that at this time last year, the price had increased to 4,000 - 5,000 VND/kg. But this year the price has dropped, people are very worried. However, chayote has a harvest period of 5 - 6 months, if well cared for, it is possible to recover capital and make a profit for people. Normally, at the beginning of the season, the price increases and then in the main season it will decrease sharply, until around the second lunar month, when all vegetables are sold out, the price of chayote will start to increase again. At this time, people only need to take care of, water, and fertilize the plant in a balanced way so that the plant can develop fruit and harvest.