Durian prices in Gia Lai are increasing, farmers share their experiences in signing contracts to ensure their benefits.

Durian prices are rising.

News of a poor durian harvest in Thailand due to unfavorable weather conditions is making many farmers in Gia Lai optimistic about the prospect of even higher domestic prices for this fruit. In addition, the recent weather-related fruit drop in Dak Lak province will also affect production. Meanwhile, some localities in the Mekong Delta and Binh Phuoc province have already finished harvesting their durian crops. These factors are driving up domestic durian prices.

These days, Mr. Chau Van Han's orchard (Cat Tan village, Ia Bang commune) is welcoming quite a few traders from the Mekong Delta who come to offer prices and discuss contracts for purchasing Thai durian. Photo: TN

Recently, many traders from other provinces have flocked to Gia Lai to buy durian. They are willing to pay high prices and place deposits to purchase durians with only about half a month left until the peak harvest season. In large orchards, businesses go directly to the farms to sign purchase contracts with strict terms that benefit both parties. In many orchards with lower yields, traders also come to negotiate prices, but the arrangement of harvesting labor is not convenient, so the farmers have not yet signed contracts.

In Ia Bang commune (Chu Prong district), farmers have been harvesting durian sporadically for the past two weeks and are preparing for the peak harvest season. These days, Mr. Chau Van Han's family (Cat Tan village, Ia Bang commune) is receiving quite a few traders from the Mekong Delta who are discussing contracts to purchase Thai durian.

Mr. Han happily shared: “This year, my orchard yielded a good harvest with beautiful, high-quality fruit, so traders came to visit and offered to buy it at 80,000 VND/kg. With this price and a yield of about 35 tons, after deducting all expenses, my family will have a profit of about 2.4 billion VND.”

With experience in durian cultivation, many farmers have "forced" the trees to flower in multiple cycles, allowing for staggered harvesting over a period of about 50-60 days. Extending the harvesting time prevents farmers from concentrating their production at one point, resulting in better prices and less dependence on middlemen, thus reducing the risk of being exploited.

Despite the high price of durian, many farmers are still cautiously waiting to finalize contracts with traders to ensure their own interests are protected. Photo: TN

Mr. Dao Duy Quynh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Cao Nguyen Agricultural Cooperative (Ia Ba commune, Ia Grai district), said: The cooperative currently has 100 hectares of durian orchards belonging to its members. This area has been granted two planting area codes since 2023. The estimated durian yield for this year's harvest is about 1,000 tons, and the peak harvest will begin in about 10 days. Currently, many traders have come to the orchards to compete for purchases. In some orchards, there is premature fruit drop, and members have already cut prices and harvested, but some orchards have not yet finalized prices.

“Based on my experience, I believe that cutting the bulk selling price is much more advantageous than fixing the price for bundled lots. At this time, the demand for durian for export is very high, so the price is likely to continue to rise. Hopefully, this year, durian prices will remain high until the end of the season so that farmers and cooperative members can have a bountiful harvest,” Mr. Quynh shared.

According to Mr. Quynh, drawing on experience from the previous season, due to changing weather conditions, durians may fall earlier than expected. Therefore, if traders don't harvest them in time, it will affect the harvest, as large-scale orchards need to collect the fallen fruit for retail sale. Meanwhile, delaying harvesting and leaving the fruit on the tree will weaken the tree, affecting the next crop. Currently, durian prices are high, with Ri6 durians priced at 55-60 thousand VND/kg and Thai durians at 70-80 thousand VND/kg.

Be cautious when setting durian prices.

The durian harvest in Gia Lai starts earlier than in Dak Lak province. Therefore, some traders from Dak Lak, Binh Phuoc, and the Mekong Delta are now flocking to durian-growing areas in Chu Prong, Ia Grai, and Chu Pah districts to offer prices. Although the prices offered by traders are quite high, many experienced farmers are still waiting and considering their options, deciding to finalize their purchases closer to harvest time.

Traders buying durian. Photo: TN

Mr. Nguyen The Minh, Director of Nghia Hoa Agricultural Service Cooperative (Chu Pah district), said: A few days ago, a company exporting goods to China visited the orchards of the cooperative's members to conduct a survey. They expect to harvest Ri6 durian in about a week, while the first harvest of Thai durian will be in about 12 days. Current prices vary depending on the quality of the orchard, but range from 55-60 thousand VND/kg for Ri6 durian and 75-80 thousand VND/kg for Thai durian.

By the end of 2023, the province had 5,689 hectares of durian, concentrated in the districts of Chư Prông, Chư Sê, Ia Grai, Chư Păh, Chư Pưh, Đức Cơ, Đak Đoa, Mang Yang… The durian production in 2023 reached approximately 44,150 tons. Currently, the province has been granted 54 durian growing area codes with an area of ​​1,289.67 hectares.

"The final price depends heavily on the overall quality of the fruit in the orchard. However, people need to be cautious when signing contracts using the '2-for-1' or '2-for-2' method (meaning good fruit is sandwiched with poor-quality fruit)."

"In a previous case, people signed contracts at 80,000 VND/kg, but due to the way the goods were cut in half, it only came down to a little over 50,000 VND/kg, or they signed contracts at 70,000 VND/kg but only got a little over 40,000 VND/kg," Mr. Minh shared.

According to Mr. Minh, there are unexpected fluctuations in durian purchasing. For example, in some years, traders agree on a price of 50,000 VND/kg at the farm, but by the time the durians are harvested, the price has risen to 70,000 VND/kg, so they harvest all the fruit. Conversely, there are cases where traders sign a contract at 70,000 VND/kg, but by the time the durians are harvested, the market price has dropped to only 50,000 VND/kg, so they forfeit their deposit.

There are also cases where people cheat, signing contracts to sell to traders at 50,000 VND/kg, but when the market price rises to over 70,000 VND/kg on the day of harvesting, they fertilize and water the durians excessively so that the flesh becomes tough and unsuitable for harvesting. This gives them an excuse to cancel the contract and sell to someone else at a higher price.

Ms. Le Thi Ngoc Son, Deputy Director of the Agricultural Services Center of Chu Pah District, said: "Durian is a fruit tree with high economic value. The entire district has about 700 hectares of durian. Currently, farmers are starting the harvest season. Some people sign contracts with traders from the beginning and monitor their orchards to harvest ripe fruit; others wait for durian to fall to sell to small local traders."

Currently, durian prices on the market are very high, so based on their experience, people usually don't negotiate prices upfront but rather base their decisions on actual prices, finalizing the price as needed. "We have advised people to monitor price fluctuations and carefully study the purchase contracts signed with traders to avoid unfavorable issues," said Ms. Son.

Source: https://danviet.vn/gia-sau-rieng-o-gia-lai-tang-cao-nong-dan-chia-se-kinh-nghiem-ky-hop-dong-de-dam-bao-loi-ich-cua-minh-20240622080547587.htm