From flooded fields to market stalls, the effects of natural disasters are being felt everywhere, forcing consumers to pay double, even triple, for everyday essentials.
Vegetable prices are constantly "dancing"
According to preliminary statistics as of the afternoon of November 21, the whole province recorded 1,640 hectares of crops affected, mainly vegetables. The two largest vegetable growing areas of the province, Don Duong and Duc Trong - which supply up to 90% of vegetable output for domestic and foreign markets - are the most severely affected localities.
In D'ran commune, preliminary statistics show that about 300 hectares of vegetables were flooded. In Ka Do commune, 150 hectares of vegetables were completely washed away, with an estimated loss of nearly 100%. In Quang Lap commune, as of the evening of November 21, 150 hectares of vegetables were still submerged in water.
Not only the Don Duong vegetable growing area, many other localities were also severely affected by the flood. Duc Trong commune also had about 10 hectares of crops flooded. Communes such as Nam Nung, Ninh Gia, Cat Tien, Dinh Van Lam Ha also reported dozens to hundreds of hectares of crops flooded and suffered great damage... Of which, by noon on November 21, Cat Tien area recorded about 400 hectares of crops of all kinds flooded. Communes in the South are still flooded so they are still urgently taking inventory and assessing the damage.
The most direct and easily felt consequence is the sharp increase in agricultural product prices. Ms. Nguyen Thi Canh, Canh Canh Da Lat Clean Vegetable Cooperative (Lam Vien Ward - Da Lat) shared: “Due to the impact of storms and floods in the Don Duong and Duc Trong areas, many popular vegetables, tubers and fruits such as green onions, spices, squash, squash, cucumbers... have doubled in price due to scarce supply. In particular, lettuce, from the previous wholesale price of 20,000 VND/kg, has now skyrocketed to 70,000 VND/kg, 3 times higher. Malabar spinach has also increased to 55,000 VND/kg”.
Mr. Dinh Huy, the owner of a large vegetable purchasing warehouse in Trai Mat, also confirmed the situation: “Currently, the prices of vegetables, tubers, and fruits are increasing exponentially every day. Some types of vegetables grown in the ground such as squash buds, young garlic, lettuce, green onions... are in serious shortage, there is even no stock to sell.”
In contrast to the traditional group of vegetables and tubers grown in the ground, high-end vegetables grown in greenhouses, hydroponics or typical products of Da Lat such as bell peppers, spinach, carrots, potatoes... only recorded a slight increase in price. However, in general, Da Lat people these days are still having to pay more for meals with green vegetables than before the flood.
Traffic jams, difficult to transport goods
The damage caused by storms and floods is not limited to the fields but has now spread to the entire supply chain, from transportation to the consumer market. Floods have blocked many major routes, especially dangerous mountain passes, causing great difficulties for the circulation of goods, especially to the Central and Northern provinces.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Canh said: “On November 19, I had to turn back two buses to the Central region because of flooding. The bus went to Tuy Hoa but could not continue to Da Nang , so I had to turn back, causing a lot of damage.”
In the same situation as Ms. Canh, many agricultural cooperatives are extremely worried about goods not arriving or being returned, causing great losses. The Green Dragon Agricultural Company also confirmed that some shipments of agricultural products to the Central and Northern regions have been canceled. Some other orders, although still being transported, are delayed, affecting the quality of the goods.
The serious traffic congestion has forced some high-end products such as clean vegetables, tubers, and fruits ordered by Hai Phong customers to be transferred by air, pushing up prices very high. Particularly in the Central market, Ms. Canh said that on November 19 and 20, many orders had to be canceled because Khanh Le and Song Pha passes were blocked. "It was not until the morning of November 22, when Song Pha pass was reopened on the afternoon of November 21, that my cooperative was able to start supplying goods to these provinces again," Ms. Canh said.
Vegetable supply capacity is still guaranteed.
Despite the severe damage, the picture is not entirely bleak. Lam Dong is a province with more than 1 million hectares of agricultural land, with 807,500 hectares for cultivation, supplying about 3.5 million tons of vegetables, tubers, fruits and 4.5 million flower branches each year. About 80% of the province's agricultural output serves the domestic market such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Hai Phong, Da Nang and the Western provinces.
Mr. Dinh Huy expressed: “Although vegetable prices are increasing, some types are scarce, but the area of flooded vegetables is not too large. Scarcity leading to insufficient vegetables will not happen, because a large area of vegetables grown in highland areas in Don Duong and Duc Trong is not affected.”
The Da Lat area and other places are also relatively unaffected despite the continuous rain and wind. This will ensure that the supply capacity of vegetables for orders is maintained. Currently, most cooperatives have links with farmers to produce, helping to stabilize prices. However, in the face of heavy rain and floods causing inundation and damage, many cooperatives are forced to purchase more from other places to ensure enough supply for the market, inevitably pushing up prices.
In this difficult context, localities and farmers are making every effort to overcome the consequences, restore production and stabilize the market. Traffic routes are gradually being repaired and reopened.
However, vegetable growers also recommend that consumers and trading partners should prepare for the coming period, as prices of agricultural products, especially vegetables and tubers grown in low-lying areas, underground, will remain higher than normal, at least until supply is fully restored after this historic natural disaster.
Source: https://baolamdong.vn/hang-ngan-hecta-rau-mau-chim-trong-lu-gia-nong-san-tiep-tuc-tang-vot-404579.html
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