Dien Chau peanut warehouse has thousands of tons of unsold peanuts.

(Baonghean.vn) - Although there was a good harvest, this year the peanut consumption of Dien Chau people encountered many difficulties, the selling price was low and consumption was slower than previous years.

If in previous years, at this time, Dien Thinh was bustling during the peanut buying and exporting season, this year the atmosphere was quieter. Low prices caused many people to hoard their goods waiting for prices to go up, not yet grinding them to sell to agents, and the agents were only operating at half capacity compared to previous years.

Meeting Chinese trader Mr. A Khang - a regular customer who is directly purchasing peanuts at an agent in Dien Thinh, he said: "Every year I go directly to agents in Dien Thinh to buy peanuts. This year, the inventory in China is large and farmers there are also entering the peanut harvest season, plus the peanut prices imported from countries like India and Myanmar are cheap, so the peanut prices have dropped. In addition to the cheap prices, this year my purchase volume has also decreased sharply; last season I purchased up to 1,000 tons, but this year I only bought 300 tons."

Sy Thang Enterprise in Dien Thinh Commune is the largest peanut purchasing and exporting facility in Dien Chau. Here, peanut exports are mainly done through unofficial channels, selling to Chinese traders directly at the facility or to some traders in the Vietnam - China border area. If in previous years, container trucks came in and out to load goods continuously, now it takes every few days for a trip. The purchase of peanuts is also limited, mainly grinding peanut shells for sale.

The Sy Thang peanut purchasing, processing and exporting facility, which was bustling last season, now has only a few workers. Photo: Mai Giang

According to Mr. Pham Sy Thang - Business owner, the product cannot be exported through official channels, only through unofficial channels to Chinese customers, so the price is very unstable. This year the price is cheap, last year it fluctuated from 35,000 - 40,000 VND/kg, now it is only 25,000 - 30,000 VND (depending on the type of peanuts or peanuts). If last season exported about 7,000 tons, this year's season will only be about 1,300 tons. To overcome the difficulties, the business has developed the field of peanut oil pressing, this item sells quite well and is very popular with people. Since the beginning of the season, about 80 tons of peanuts have been pressed.

Dien Thinh is the commune with the largest peanut growing area in Dien Chau with over 700 hectares/year. This is also the place where the most peanut purchasing and processing establishments for export in the district are concentrated. Currently, the whole commune has 1,200/3,000 households engaged in peanut purchasing, 5 peanut processing and exporting establishments. Not only purchasing in the district, but traders here also go to Ha Tinh and Quang Binh provinces to purchase shelled peanuts. During the main season, people here process more than 100 tons of shelled peanuts every day.

However, this year, due to the low price of peanuts, it is difficult to sell, so after purchasing and drying them, many households are storing them in warehouses and have not yet ground them for sale. Mr. Pham Bang in Hamlet 17, Dien Thinh Commune, who has been purchasing peanuts for 12 years, said: "This season, I purchased 20 tons of fresh peanuts to dry. Like every year, I ground them for sale, but the current price is cheap, there are few purchasing agents, if I grind them for sale, I will only break even and not make a profit, so I will save them and wait for the price to go up a bit before selling them."

Milling activities are quiet. Photo: Mai Giang

Dien Chau is the key peanut district of Nghe An, with an area of ​​3,200 hectares, annual output of about 9,000 tons. Dien Chau peanuts are famous for their quality and are favored by customers. With the assurance from production to consumption, Dien Chau is not only a peanut granary but also known as the largest peanut purchasing and exporting place in the province.

Dien Chau district has about 1,800 households engaged in peanut purchasing and selling, 11 establishments specializing in purchasing, processing and exporting peanuts, concentrated in Dien Thinh, Dien Thanh and Dien An communes. Each year, establishments in the district purchase and process up to 20,000 tons of peanuts.

With the difficulties of official export, unstable and risky unofficial export, low peanut prices, and poor consumption, although the peanut season is over, each facility in Dien Chau has only been able to sell from 500 tons to 1,300 tons, much lower than previous years. The amount of peanuts in stock among the people is still quite large, causing difficulties for both peanut growers and peanut buyers and exporters./.

Mai Giang