Why are fruits so cheap but still unsold?

Many kinds of fruits such as guava, dragon fruit, mango, rambutan, durian... are sold everywhere on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City at dirt cheap prices, but they are still unsold.

According to supermarkets, consumers no longer prioritize low prices but are more concerned with the origin and food safety of agricultural products.

Selling fruit on mobile carts on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City

Gardeners and business people are both facing difficulties.

Recently, on the sidewalks of many streets in Ho Chi Minh City such as Tan Son, Pham Van Bach, Quang Trung (Go Vap District), Cong Hoa (Tan Binh District), Pham Van Dong (Thu Duc District)..., passersby have witnessed many types of fruits with "cheap as free" prices such as dragon fruit, guava (under 10,000 VND/kg), rambutan, watermelon (12,000 VND/kg), pomelo (15,000 VND/two fruits), avocado (20,000 VND/kg)... However, according to many sellers, despite the low prices, consumption is still very difficult.

“The price of dragon fruit has never been so low. Phan Thiet red-fleshed dragon fruit is less than 10,000 VND/kg, but every day there are only a few customers coming to buy even though the price list is clearly displayed and the source of the goods is explained in detail,” Mr. NQH, owner of a dragon fruit cart on Tan Son Street (Go Vap District), lamented.

Mr. D.V.D - owner of a Dak Lak avocado cart on Pham Van Dong Street (Thu Duc District) - also said that he only sells a few kilos a day, just enough for food and gas.

Meanwhile, many gardeners also complained that fruit consumption was difficult, despite a sharp decline in output and low prices. According to Mr. Doan Thanh Tuong (Can Gio District), the prolonged hot weather and saltwater intrusion caused fruit output to decrease significantly compared to previous years, to only 3 tons. However, with the selling price of 16,000 VND/kg at the garden, the garden's revenue has dropped sharply compared to previous years.

Mr. Minh - Nhuan Duc commune, Cu Chi district, owner of a 6,000m2 guava garden - also said that not only has the yield decreased due to the prolonged heat, the quality of the guava has also decreased compared to previous years, such as being blemished, small fruit... "Every day, I only sell about 100kg of guava at the garden at a price of 10,000 VND/kg for grade 1, under 8,000 VND/kg for unripe guava, but traders still refuse to buy it" - Mr. Minh said.

Similarly, Mr. Nguyen Van Tai - owner of a mangosteen garden in Tra On district, Vinh Long province - said that the mangosteen garden is full of leaves but does not produce fruit. "Over 13 hectares of land but only 1 ton is harvested while every year it is 3-4 tons, the revenue is not enough to cover the cost of taking care of the garden" - Mr. Tai complained. According to Mr. Tai, the mangosteen fruit is shriveled, dry, less sweet and does not have as much flesh as every year is also one of the reasons why consumption is difficult.

Worried about being cheated on the scale and buying Chinese fruit

Ms. Tran Thi Sang, who lives on Le Thi Hong Street, Go Vap District, said she no longer dares to buy fruit sold along the street because she is afraid of "getting more upset". According to Ms. Sang, many types of fruit look very eye-catching, only when buying do I realize I have been cheated. "The other day, on my way home from work, I saw dragon fruit priced at 15,000 VND/kg, I was bored with choosing, weighed it and was charged 20,000 VND, asked again and was told that 15,000 VND only bought small, wilted fruits, so I definitely did not buy it anymore" - Ms. Sang said.

Some experienced housewives confirmed that the goods sold on the street are only grade 3 and 4. For example, there are 3-4 different types of guava, with many prices, but all are listed at 10,000 VND/kg. When paying, the buyer is shocked because the price is 20,000 VND/kg. "I was "trapped" once. Seeing beautiful and cheap guava, I stopped to buy it, but the seller only kept the small, bruised guava... in a corner and said that these types are only priced at 10,000 VND/kg, while grade 1 guava costs 20,000-25,000 VND/kg" - Ms. Le Thi Thuy (Binh Thanh District) was upset.

Meanwhile, many people who have accidentally bought fruit sold along the road are upset that they are often unfairly weighed and sold. According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa - Binh Tri Dong Ward, Binh Tan District, after buying 2kg of mangoes that the seller firmly confirmed were "Hoa Loc sand", she brought them home to weigh them again and found that they were only 1.5kg and tasted "sour", far different from the sweet taste of the "guaranteed" mangoes from a cart on Provincial Road 10. According to Ms. Hoa, many types of fruit look very eye-catching but she does not know if they are Chinese goods so she does not dare to buy them carelessly anymore.

Explaining the situation of cheap fruit but consumers are still not interested, many retailers said that in addition to the reason of supply exceeding demand when in season, consumers no longer prioritize cheap prices but only trust safe products with clear origin and brand. "The purchasing power of fruit products is still stable, at the time when retailers coordinate with gardeners to promote, recorded sales always skyrocket" - said a representative of Saigon Co.op.

According to many supermarkets, fresh fruits and vegetables are one of the best-selling products, mainly domestic fruits. Although admitting the weakness of Vietnamese fruits is that they are not diverse in form and have inconsistent quality, Mr. Ho Quoc Nguyen, director of foreign affairs at Big C Vietnam, said that consumers increasingly prefer to buy fruits at supermarkets because of their clear origin, stable quality and eye-catching displays.

In addition, to support consumption and promote Vietnamese agricultural products, many retail systems such as Saigon Co.op, Lotte, Big C still have policies to purchase fruits and agricultural products at stable prices throughout the season. "The price of fruits and agricultural products during the harvest season often fluctuates erratically, sometimes very high but sometimes as cheap as free. To create fairness, we all sign purchase contracts with gardeners early, with stable prices, avoiding causing damage to sellers as well as shoppers and supermarkets" - said a representative of a retail system./.

According to VOV