• Farmers expect rice prices to continue rising.
  • Urgently harvest the summer-autumn rice crop during the rainy and stormy season.

Ripe rice lies in the fields waiting for traders.

For the 2025 summer-autumn crop season, Khanh Binh commune planted over 6,000 hectares of rice. Harvesting is currently underway, but contrary to the joy of a bountiful harvest, many farmers are worried as the price of fresh rice at the field has unexpectedly dropped sharply by 1,000-2,000 VND/kg compared to the same period last year.

Many rice fields are ready for harvest but buyers have yet to be found.

Not only have prices plummeted, but many rice fields ready for harvest are also struggling to find buyers. In recent days, continuous heavy rains have further increased the risk of rice lodging, leading to significant losses.

“ My family planted over 20 acres of rice. At the beginning of the season, traders bought it for about 7,000 VND/kg, but now it's only 5,000-5,500 VND/kg, the lowest price in the past two years. The rice fields are over 110 days old but still haven't been harvested, and when we contact traders, we only receive promises,” said Mr. Tran Hoang Khiem, Lung Ba hamlet, Khanh Binh commune.

Mr. Khiem is not alone; many farmers in Khanh Binh commune are facing a similar situation. While the costs of fertilizers, pesticides, and harvesting machinery are all increasing, the price of rice is plummeting. Farmers estimate that if this situation continues, they will likely not make any profit this harvest.

Rice purchasing boats are scarce despite being in the peak of the summer-autumn rice harvest season.

Mr. Lam Trong Nghia, from Lung Ba hamlet, shared: “At the beginning of the season, I bought rice seeds for over 8,000 VND/kg. After sowing for more than 20 days, the rain continued, forcing us to pump out the water, incurring additional costs. Then, during harvest, it rained again, the rice plants collapsed, and the cost of hiring harvesting machines increased. This season, my family just hopes to recoup our investment.”

New rice variety – traders refuse to buy it.

According to statistics from the People's Committee of Khanh Binh commune, this year's summer-autumn rice crop uses the HB1 variety, which accounts for over 95% of the planted area. However, paradoxically, traders are currently mainly buying OM18, Dai Thom 8, ST24, and ST25 varieties, while HB1 rice is only offered at around 5,500 VND/kg, and in some places, not even bought at all, causing great difficulties for farmers.

The HB1 rice variety accounts for over 95% of the planted area in Khanh Binh commune.

Ms. Tu Hong Ut, from Lung Ba hamlet, said: “The HB1 rice variety was introduced last summer-autumn, yielding high productivity, and traders bought it for up to 9,000 VND/kg. Seeing its effectiveness, this year the farmers all planted it, but when it came time to harvest, the traders complained that the rice did not meet quality standards. Even in fields with good-looking rice, they cited reasons such as lack of transportation or inability to find buyers.”

From believing in the new rice variety and hoping for a "good harvest and good prices," farmers in Khanh Binh are now facing the situation where their rice is ripe but they can't find buyers, risking heavy losses.

Setting up tents to save the rice crop.

Unable to find buyers, many households in Khanh Binh commune have had to set up tents and prepare drying areas to minimize post-harvest losses. From hoping for a successful harvest in terms of yield and selling price, farmers are now facing the reality of sharply falling rice prices, the risk of losses, or even total crop failure.

Farmers are setting up tents and preparing drying areas to protect their rice from the risk of germination due to prolonged rain.

Mr. Pham Van Ly, head of Lung Ba hamlet, said: "In recent days, the villagers have set up tents and prepared drying areas so that if traders continue to refuse to buy, they will have a place to dry the rice, preventing it from sprouting and causing more serious damage."

According to the plan, the remaining summer-autumn rice crop in Khanh Binh commune will enter its peak harvesting season in the coming days. If prices continue to fall and traders do not buy the rice, the rice in the fields may sprout, its quality will deteriorate, making an already difficult market even harder.

The People's Committee of Khanh Binh commune proactively coordinated with the pumping station operators to protect rice crops from the risk of flooding.

“ The local authorities are urgently contacting purchasing units to support the output and ensure the best possible prices for farmers. At the same time, the commune is coordinating with units operating all pumping stations to limit localized flooding and minimize damage,” said Mr. Dang Chi Nguyen, Chairman of the People's Committee of Khanh Binh commune.

Hong Nghi - Tien Luan

Source: https://baocamau.vn/gia-lua-lao-doc-nong-dan-dung-ngoi-khong-yen-a121682.html