In the spring of 2026, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hao's family (Dong Cao village, Thien Cam commune) expanded their rice cultivation to over 2 acres by borrowing additional land within the village. Favorable weather resulted in high rice yields, but the joy was short-lived as the price of fresh rice only reached 4,700 VND/kg. Furthermore, this year traders did not come directly to the fields to collect the rice as in previous seasons, forcing Mrs. Hao to incur additional transportation costs to the purchasing facility.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Hao stated: “The cost of renting plows, harvesters, and agricultural supplies has increased by 20-30%. Meanwhile, the price of rice has not only not increased but has even decreased compared to last year. At 4,700 VND/kg, after deducting expenses, I'm almost losing money. In previous seasons, I borrowed more land to cultivate, but this year I will return it because I'm working so hard without making a profit.”
Also "sitting on a powder keg" as the price of fresh rice hasn't met expectations, Ms. Tran Thi Tuong (Vinh Phu village, Cam Xuyen commune) is taking advantage of favorable weather to dry and store her rice, waiting for better prices before selling it. According to Ms. Tuong, the high price of fuel has led to increased costs for renting harvesting and plowing machines. Currently, the rental price for a harvesting machine is 180,000 - 200,000 VND/sao, an increase of 50,000 VND/sao compared to the spring crop of 2025. Meanwhile, the price of fresh rice is only 4,700 VND/kg, about 700 VND/kg lower than the spring crop of 2025.
“This year's rice yield is about 3 quintals per sao (approximately 300 kg per 1000 square meters). With a selling price of 4,700 VND/kg for fresh rice, each sao brings in about 1.4 million VND. After deducting the costs of plowing, harvesting, seeds, fertilizers, etc., we are incurring a loss of about 200,000 VND per sao. I am taking advantage of the sunny weather to dry the rice, hoping the price will increase before selling. However, with the current increase in input costs, to break even, the price of dried rice would have to reach 7,000 VND/kg. If the price doesn't improve, I probably won't dare to invest again next season,” said Ms. Tran Thi Tuong.
Surveys in communes such as Thach Ha, Can Loc, and Cam Xuyen show that fresh rice is currently being purchased by traders at the field for around 4,700 VND/kg, lower than last year's spring crop and falling short of farmers' expectations. Abundant supply coupled with slow demand is making the market sluggish.
For example, the Hanh Cuong Agricultural Processing and Trading Cooperative (Cam Binh commune) usually purchases around 5,000 tons of fresh paddy and 5,000 tons of dried paddy annually. However, currently, the cooperative has only purchased 600-700 tons of fresh paddy. The reason for the slow purchasing power of the cooperative is the difficulties in the consumption market in the northern provinces, the price of finished rice has not increased, while transportation and storage costs remain high, forcing businesses to carefully consider their purchasing decisions.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Hanh, Director of Hanh Cuong Agricultural Products Processing and Trading Cooperative, said: “Currently, domestic rice consumption is slow, while rice imports from India are increasing, pushing rice prices down sharply. We still have a large amount of unsold stock from previous harvests, and because consumption is slow, we don't dare to buy in bulk like in previous years. We hope that relevant agencies and local authorities will study and soon find solutions to support farmers in finding markets for their rice.”
Faced with low rice prices and difficulties in finding markets, the province is currently strengthening connections with businesses and cooperatives to support rice consumption for farmers. To help farmers stabilize costs, localities are also strengthening management, control, and regulation of harvesting machine services to prevent price gouging and unfair pricing practices.
Mr. Phan Thanh Nghi, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Cam Xuyen commune, said: “In the spring crop of 2026, the entire commune cultivated 1,484 hectares. To date, the locality has harvested about 40% of the area. This year's rice crop is abundant but the price has dropped, and the market is facing difficulties. Currently, the commune is connecting with and seeking purchasing units to help farmers sell their rice; at the same time, we advise farmers to take advantage of favorable weather to dry and store their rice, waiting for prices to rise before selling. In addition, we are also stepping up propaganda, training, and guidance for people to implement cost-saving measures for the upcoming summer-autumn crop to improve economic efficiency.”
The recurring problem of "bumper harvest, low prices" highlights the shortcomings in the rice production and consumption chain. To solve this problem, relevant authorities need comprehensive solutions, ranging from production planning and quality improvement to building sustainable linkages with businesses and expanding markets. Only when market access is guaranteed can farmers feel secure and committed to farming in the long term.
Source: https://baohatinh.vn/gia-lua-tuoi-cham-day-nong-dan-doi-mat-voi-nguy-co-thua-lo-post309980.html
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