Rice prices remain high, giving farmers in the Mekong Delta a grand Tet celebration for the first time in 10 years.

Farmers in Soc Trang province harvest the 2023-2024 Winter-Spring rice crop. Photo: Phuong Anh

A bountiful harvest, good prices.

At this time, farmers in several provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta have begun harvesting the winter-spring rice crop. According to farmers, thanks to the still relatively high rice prices and a bumper harvest, they are making a lot of profit.

In Soc Trang province, Mr. Nguyen Van Phuong (Ke Sach district) has finished harvesting 1 hectare of the OM 5451 rice variety during the winter-spring crop season, achieving a yield of nearly 9 tons.

“Traders are buying it at 9,800 VND/kg, 3,000 VND/kg higher than last year. After deducting all expenses, the profit is about 45 million VND, an increase of 20 million VND compared to last year,” Mr. Phuong said.

Thanks to planting early to avoid saline intrusion, Mr. Tran Van Ti's 0.5-hectare winter-spring rice crop (Long Phu district, Soc Trang province) has been harvested. Mr. Ti was overjoyed to harvest nearly 5 tons of rice, which he sold for 9,500 VND/kg.

Mr. Ti said: "When I first started farming, I thought the price of rice would only reach 8,000 VND/kg and then stop. Unexpectedly, the price kept increasing, reaching 9,500 VND/kg when I sold it. With high rice prices and a good harvest, I made over 20 million VND in profit this season."

Meanwhile, in Hau Giang, Can Tho , Bac Lieu, etc., the winter-spring crop harvest will only begin after the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Dragon 2024. Currently, many farmers cannot hide their joy as prices remain high, ranging from 7,500 to 10,000 VND/kg, depending on the type, and they are hoping for a bountiful harvest at the beginning of the new year.

Mr. Nguyen Van Nghia (Thoi Lai district, Can Tho city) said: “My family won't harvest until the 15th day of the first lunar month, but traders have already placed deposits at 9,400 VND/kg. I've worked very hard in the fields this season, so now I'm not worried about the price; I just hope for a good harvest to bring good luck at the beginning of the new year.”

It's only once every 10 years that we have a big Tet celebration.

According to some farmers in the provinces and cities of the Mekong Delta, the price of rice remains high as the winter-spring rice crop is in the harvesting stage, presenting an opportunity for farmers to "make a big profit".

“Since my wife and I started farming rice on our own nearly 15 years ago, this is the first time I’ve held nearly 50 million dong in profit after harvest in my hands. In previous years, rice prices were low and traders even pressured us to lower prices, so the profit was only enough to last until the next harvest, and we didn’t dare buy much for Tet. This year is a blessing from heaven; with the money, my wife and I went to the market to buy Tet supplies right away,” said Mr. Nguyen Van Phuong.

Mr. Tran Van Ti (Long Phu district, Soc Trang province) said: "This rice crop, I earned over 20 million VND, which is the highest profit I've ever made. I'm saving some money to buy seeds for the next season, and using the rest to renovate my house and buy new things for a big Tet celebration."

According to the Department of Industry and Trade of Soc Trang province, in 2023, rice export turnover is estimated at 450 million USD, an increase of nearly 34% compared to 2022, accounting for 30% of the province's total export turnover; mainly exported to traditional and key markets such as the Philippines and China.

According to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam, in the first 11 months of 2023, Vietnam's rice exports are estimated to have reached 7.75 million tons in volume and 4.41 billion USD in value, an increase of 16.2% and 36.3% respectively compared to the same period in 2022, and are estimated to reach 5 billion USD by the end of 2023. The average export price of rice in the first 11 months is estimated at 568 USD/ton, an increase of 17.3% compared to the same period.

Source: https://laodong.vn/kinh-doanh/gia-lua-van-cao-nong-dan-mien-tay-10-nam-moi-co-tet-lon-1297153.ldo