Increased Chinese purchases lead to record price surge for betel nuts in Nghe An.

The family of Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong in Thanh Hoa commune (Thanh Chuong district) planted 500 betel nut trees, of which 250 have already yielded fruit, and the remaining 250 are still developing. Since the beginning of the season, her family has sold nearly 100 kg of betel nuts, with the price at that time being 52,000 - 55,000 VND/kg.

"Each year, the harvest season begins from the 15th day of the 6th lunar month until the end of the 11th lunar month, divided into 4 harvest periods, with each harvest lasting approximately 20-25 days. The second and third harvests yield the highest productivity."

"The price at the beginning of the season was 50,000 VND/kg, but for about a month now, the price of betel nuts has increased sharply, reaching 55,000 VND, 60,000 VND, and now 65,000 VND/kg. Compared to last year, it's an 8-10 fold increase," Ms. Huong shared.

Due to the hilly terrain, betel nut trees are quite common in the gardens of households in the communes of Thanh Nho, Thanh Hoa, Phong Thinh, Cat Van, and Hanh Lam (Thanh Chuong district). While there are no specific statistics, almost every household in this area grows betel nut trees in their garden; some have 5-7 trees, while others have hundreds.

Although betel nut trees are not a staple crop in these areas, they provide a decent income for the people. The betel nut harvest is bountiful, so the locals are very happy.

"This year, the price of betel nuts has been high since the beginning of the season and is gradually increasing. At this price, some households are earning hundreds of millions of dong from selling betel nuts," said Ms. Nguyen Thi Oanh, Chairwoman of the Farmers' Association of Thanh Hoa commune.

Two years ago, the price of betel nuts plummeted, from 12,000 VND/kg at the beginning of the season, down to 5-7,000 VND in the middle of the season, and then hitting rock bottom at 2,000-3,000 VND/kg with no buyers. Many families left their ripe yellow betel nuts on the trees, which then fell to the ground.

Mr. Tran Van Hoa (Cao Son commune, Anh Son district) said: “While in 2021, the price of betel nuts reached a record high of 90,000 VND/kg, in 2022 and 2023, the price plummeted. In 2022, it was only 5,000 VND/kg, and even then, we couldn't sell them because there were no traders buying them. This year, the betel nut harvest is abundant and the price is good, making us growers very happy.”

Betel nuts are selling at a high price, so from the beginning of the season (May in the lunar calendar), traders from all over have flocked to rural areas with many betel nut trees to place deposits in advance, even buying entire orchards when the nuts are still bearing young fruit.

“Every year, when the 100 betel nut trees in our orchard are bearing fruit, we sell them to traders in the commune. This year, we've seen traders from Anh Son, Do Luong, and even from the North come to inquire about buying. They offered 40 million, then 50 million dong to buy all 100 trees while the fruit was still young, but our family refused to sell. Roughly speaking, 100 trees can yield about 2.5 tons of fruit, and at the current selling price, that would bring in about 150 million dong,” said Nguyen Van The, a betel nut grower in Thanh Nho commune (Thanh Chuong district).

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuong Hoai (Khai Son commune, Anh Son district), a trader specializing in buying betel nuts, this year, betel nut prices have remained high since the beginning of the season and have been increasing daily. The sharpest increase is for the long-fruited, green-skinned, dense-seeded variety. Currently, betel nut prices in major growing regions across the country such as Quang Ngai, Quang Nam, and Tien Giang are at record highs, sometimes reaching 85,000 VND/kg.

In Nghe An province alone, the price of betel nuts is currently at 60,000-65,000 VND/kg (depending on the type). Betel nuts are mainly collected, processed, and then supplied to processing plants. From there, they are steamed, dried, and resold to traders for export to China, India, and other countries. In years when demand from these markets increases, the price of betel nuts escalates.

Due to its dependence on the Chinese market, the price fluctuates very erratically. The price of betel nuts is currently high, but if China stops buying, it will immediately drop. "There was a year when they were buying at 70,000 VND/kg, but just a few days later, it dropped to only 5,000-7,000 VND/kg," said Ms. Thuong Hoai.

For many years, the price of betel nuts has fluctuated according to the erratic demand from Chinese traders. Many localities advise farmers that betel nuts are not a common crop, their price is unstable, and the market for this fruit is limited. Therefore, farmers should only plant them as intercrops or in sloping areas to prevent soil erosion, utilizing land along fences, field edges, and plot boundaries. In particular, people should not be tempted by high prices and plant betel nuts indiscriminately as a trend.