One of the largest orange orchards in Nghe An province suffers crop failure, with fruit falling off the trees in droves.

Ms. Phan Thi Su, a large orange grower in Dong Trung hamlet, Quang Dong commune, sadly shared: "My family's 4.8-hectare orange orchard has 80% of its trees planted with the Xa Doai yellow-fleshed variety – a specialty orange highly sought after in the market. After two major storms, numbers 5 and 10, the entire orchard was devastated by strong winds, with branches broken, trees leaning, and some even uprooted, requiring support. Last season, my family harvested 35 tons, but this year we're lucky to get around 15 tons. The oranges are falling off constantly, and I can't even promise anything to customers who placed orders for the Lunar New Year because I don't know if I'll have enough to deliver," Ms. Su lamented.

Not far away, Mr. Nguyen Huu Khanh in Dong Tro hamlet was also busy collecting the remaining oranges on his 3-hectare plot. He said that the recent storm had stripped many trees of their leaves, causing even small fruits to fall off, while others were flooded, weakening their roots and making recovery difficult. “Currently, the oranges are ripening, but the fruit is still falling off every day. Last season I harvested 30 tons, this year I'll only get about 10 tons at best. Oranges are fetching a good price this year, around 50,000 VND/kg, but the crop failure means I can't recoup my losses,” Mr. Khanh shared.

Besides worrying about the sharp drop in yield, farmers in Quang Dong commune also face a long-term concern: restoring the Xa Doai orange variety – a famous but very finicky variety – could take many years, requiring significant care and expense. After successive natural disasters, many orange orchards are at risk of depletion, affecting the next harvest.

The drop in production has also severely impacted the purchasing market. Mr. Tran Van Tu, a citrus trader in Thanh Vinh ward, said that normally he buys 5-7 tons of Dong Thanh oranges from Quang Dong commune daily for distribution to other provinces. But this year, placing orders is almost impossible due to the extremely low production. “Dong Thanh oranges are very popular with customers because they are fragrant and intensely sweet, but this year we have to buy them sparingly because there isn't enough supply.”

According to Mr. Nguyen Khac Son, Vice Chairman of the Quang Dong Commune People's Committee, the entire commune currently has over 130 hectares of oranges, mainly delicious varieties such as Xa Doai with golden flesh and Van Du... Of which, more than 70 hectares have VietGAP certification. Thanks to its high quality, Dong Thanh oranges have long become a brand sought after by customers everywhere. On average, the entire region harvests about 1,300 tons of oranges each year, bringing in more than 42 billion VND for the people.

However, this year, due to damage from two storms, the expected yield is only about 600 tons, and revenue has decreased to just over 20 billion VND. The commune is encouraging people to both harvest and focus on restoring their orange orchards. This is the main crop, determining the livelihoods of hundreds of households, so restoration is very important.