Huu Lung: The "bitter" lychee season

People of Hoa Son commune, Huu Lung district harvest lychee.

Huu Lung is a district with a large lychee growing area in the province. According to statistics, the whole Huu Lung district currently has about 600 hectares of lychee, grown mainly in the communes of Hoa Son, Tan Thanh, Minh Son... This is also the fruit tree with the second largest growing area (after custard apple) in the district.

Currently, people are entering the main harvest season but the price of lychee is very low. Mr. Hoang Van Quynh, Ho Muoi village, Minh Son commune said: My family currently has over 100 lychee trees. This year, the lychee crop is good, from the beginning of the season until now, my family has harvested over 3 tons of lychee but the selling price is very low, only from 5,000 - 7,000 VND/kg. It is expected that from now until the end of the season, my family will harvest another 5 tons of lychee, although the selling price is low, my family is still trying to harvest to sell to traders in the hope of being able to recoup the investment, care and labor costs spent.

Not only Mr. Quynh's family, lychee growers in Hoa Son commune are also struggling because lychee prices are falling. Along the road leading to the center of Hoa Son commune, reporters still saw traders buying lychees from people, but there was not a single smile on the faces of the people. Mr. Duong Van Quang, Chien Thang village, Hoa Son commune shared: Currently, my family has about 300 lychee trees. To take care of the lychee trees, just counting the cost of fertilizers, pesticides... the family has spent about 8 million VND. This year, the family's harvest is estimated at over 2 tons (an increase of about 60% compared to last year) but the selling price is very low, averaging from 5,000 - 7,000 VND/kg (a decrease of 10,000 - 13,000 VND/kg compared to last year). Since the beginning of the season, my family has sold over 1 ton of lychee, but with such a low price, my family has only earned about 5 million VND, not enough to cover the cost of care. Currently, although there is still a lot of lychee, my family does not dare to hire workers because selling 100 kg of lychee is enough to pay for a day's wages.

Mr. Truong Duc Dung, Vice Chairman of Hoa Son Commune People's Committee, said: Lychee is a fruit tree that has been put into production by local people for a long time. The whole commune currently has about 115 hectares of lychee. It is estimated that this year, lychee output will reach more than 1,000 tons (an increase of about 60-70% compared to last year). Although lychee has a good harvest and the fruit quality is guaranteed, the selling price is very low and unstable, fluctuating every day, making lychee growers feel like they are sitting on hot coals.

According to information from professional agencies, this year, the total lychee output of the whole district is estimated at 5,609 tons, an increase of about 20% compared to 2024. However, the price of lychee is very low. Currently, lychee is purchased by traders at a price ranging from 5,000 - 7,000 VND/kg, a decrease of 10,000 - 13,000 VND/kg compared to the 2024 lychee crop. The reason for the decrease in lychee price is that this year, lychee output has increased sharply while farmers mainly produce by themselves, there is no linkage to consume products, so the output is unstable, completely dependent on traders.

Ms. Nong Thi Huyen Trang, Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Huu Lung district, said: The natural conditions, soil and climate of the district are very suitable for growing lychee. The quality of lychee grown in the district is also very guaranteed, the fruit has a beautiful appearance and delicious taste. However, due to the lack of close linkage from production to consumption, the products of the people do not have a stable output, and are often forced down in price by traders. To support lychee farmers to have a more stable development direction, in the coming time, the department will coordinate with related units and commune authorities to guide and mobilize people to apply science and technology in production to improve product quality; encourage people to proactively plan to preserve and process lychee to increase value; at the same time, actively seek and create conditions for businesses and cooperatives to learn and build production linkage models to create stable output for products.

With the current situation of lychee price drop, many people are at risk of loss, the amount of money from selling lychee is not enough to cover the investment and care costs. From that, it can be seen that if there is no suitable development orientation, no product consumption linkage, no stable consumption market, the story of "good harvest, low price" will certainly continue, not only for lychee but also for other crops. Therefore, it is hoped that in the coming time, relevant levels and sectors will have practical solutions to support people to develop production in a more stable and sustainable direction, thereby gradually improving productivity, quality, product value and expanding the consumption market for local agricultural products.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/huu-lung-mua-vai-dang-5050913.html