These days, in some localities in Dong Thap, farmers cannot hide their joy because they harvest rice right at the right time of good prices. Having just sold 3 hectares of summer-autumn rice, using the OM 5451 rice variety at a selling price of 7,100 VND/kg, after deducting expenses, they still made a profit of more than 24 million VND/ha. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Dung in Tan My commune, Thanh Binh district, Dong Thap province happily said: "I thought this rice crop would be a loss because the rice price has been low since the beginning of the season. But fortunately, when harvested, it was sold at a high price."

In early July, the price of summer-autumn rice was only 6,200-6,400 VND/kg (depending on the rice variety). But currently, with the ban on rice exports by some countries, the price of rice in Vietnam in general and the Mekong Delta in particular has increased. Currently, the price of high-quality summer-autumn rice is purchased by traders at the field at 7,100 VND/kg, an increase of 1,300 VND/kg compared to the same period in 2022; IR 50404 regular rice is priced at 6,500 VND/kg, an increase of 1,050 VND/kg compared to the same period in 2022. The increase in rice prices helps farmers earn a profit of about 3,500 VND/kg.

Rice prices increase every day, but many farmers in the West are regretful because many rice areas have been harvested in advance.

Not only did prices increase, but farmers’ buying and selling also became more convenient. Unlike about a month ago, when people could not find any traders, many traders are now competing to buy rice. To buy rice, traders are willing to pay a deposit in advance with farmers, and the next trader often bids 50-100 VND/kg higher than the previous one.

Although rice prices have increased, it is at the end of the harvest season, so farmers cannot fully enjoy the joy. Mr. Duong Van Sieu, Deputy Director of Thuan Thang Agricultural Cooperative, Thoi Lai District, Can Tho City, informed: "The price of Dai Thom 8 rice in the locality has increased to 7,000 VND/kg, an increase of about 500 VND/kg compared to the same period last year. Although the price of summer-autumn rice has increased, the cooperative has no more rice to sell. Because the summer-autumn rice area has been harvested for a long time and is sold at a lower price. Currently, the cooperative is growing autumn-winter rice".

Similarly, Mr. Nguyen Van Thich, Deputy Director of Tan Long Cooperative (Tan Long Hamlet, Vinh Tuong Commune, Vi Thuy District, Hau Giang Province) said: "Currently, the summer-autumn rice price is 7,000 VND/kg for OM18 and Dai Thom 8 varieties. However, the cooperative's summer-autumn rice has been harvested for a long time and is only sold for 6,300 VND/kg".

In addition to regretting that the remaining rice area is not much, people are also heartbroken because the rice yield of this crop has decreased due to the impact of the recent storms and rains that caused the rice to fall over. Typically, in the summer-autumn crop of 2023, Nga Nam town, Soc Trang province sowed more than 18,000 hectares. Up to now, 87% of the area has been harvested with a yield of 5.4 tons/ha. Currently, nearly 2,200 hectares of rice are ready to be harvested and are flooded and fallen over. Looking at the flooded rice area, Mr. Nguyen Van Sai, My Quoi commune, Nga Nam town, could not hide his sadness and said: "Last summer-autumn crop, my rice yield reached 850 kg/cong, but this crop was flooded and fell over near the harvest date, the estimated yield is only about 700 kg/cong. It has been a long time since the price of rice has been as high as this year, but because the yield is low, the profit is not high!"

Can Tho farmers harvest rice and sell it right in the field.

According to the Vietnam Food Association, the export price of 5% broken rice from Vietnam increased to 558 USD/ton, up 145 USD (35%) compared to the same period last year. It is forecasted that the price of 5% broken rice from Vietnam may increase to 600 USD next month. Enterprises should even consider the scenario that rice prices may re-establish the level of 1,000 USD/ton as in 2008 in the near future.

Although rice prices are on the rise, many farmers are still cautious in managing input costs to avoid overspending, following rice prices and "abusing" fertilizers and pesticides with the hope of increasing output and selling at a higher price. From the perspective of the functional sector, Mr. Ngo Minh Long, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Hau Giang province, said: "In the past few days, the impact of thunderstorms has caused flooding, the functional sector is actively supporting farmers to pump out water to save rice. It is forecasted that rice prices will continue to increase in the coming time, due to the large demand for rice imports from markets around the world. Therefore, with the area of ​​autumn-winter rice being sown, the provincial agricultural sector is directing specialized units to coordinate with localities to guide farmers to continue to care for and proactively prevent pests and diseases to ensure quality rice when harvested for high prices".

Article and photos: THUY AN