The winter-spring rice crop was bountiful, but prices were low.

In late April, farmers in key rice-producing areas of Lam Dong province are entering the peak harvest season for the 2025-2026 Winter-Spring crop. Despite favorable weather and high yields, persistently low rice prices are causing many households to worry about the profitability of their production.

People are harvesting rice in the fields of Ham Liem commune, Lam Dong province.

In the rice fields of Nam Thanh commune, one of the province's concentrated rice-producing areas, the harvesting atmosphere is bustling. Many areas have entered the peak harvesting season, while the late-season rice crops are ripening simultaneously; the entire harvest is expected to last about a month. Besides local farmers, many households from neighboring communes such as Duc Linh and Tanh Linh have also come to rent land for production, contributing to the increased scale of cultivation in the area.

According to local residents, this year's winter-spring crop is considered favorable due to stable weather, abundant irrigation water, and good pest control. As a result, the average yield reached about 8 tons/ha, higher than in many previous seasons. However, the price of fresh rice at the field currently only ranges from 5,000 to 7,500 VND/kg depending on the variety; the price of glutinous rice is at 5,200 - 6,000 VND/kg, lower than farmers' expectations.

Mr. Le Van Nam, a farmer in Nam Thanh commune, said that although he had a good harvest, the joy was not complete as rice prices had decreased compared to the previous season, while input costs had increased sharply. "Seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides have all increased in price, significantly raising production costs," Mr. Nam shared.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Trung, a farmer from Vo Xu 9 village, Duc Linh commune, currently cultivating 6 hectares of rented rice in the Nam Thanh rice field, said that production costs this season have increased by about 20% compared to the same period last year. “Not only agricultural supplies, but also land rental prices have increased. With the current rice prices, even with high yields, we will only break even; it's very difficult to make a profit. Hopefully, rice prices will improve in the near future so that the hard work put in throughout the entire growing season, which lasts more than 3 months, will be adequately rewarded,” Mr. Trung said.

In Ham Liem commune, local farmers are also entering the peak harvest season. Besides households achieving high yields, there are still cases affected by pests and diseases such as rice blast and stem borer, causing a sharp decrease in production.

Despite favorable weather and high yields, the price of rice purchased at the field remains low.

Mr. Nguyen Tanh, from Hamlet 5, Ham Liem Commune, said: "This year's Winter-Spring crop was a success, with my family's 5 sao (approximately 0.5 hectares) of OM18 rice yielding about 4.2 tons, higher than the previous season. Unlike other households selling fresh rice in the garden, Mr. Tanh's family chose to dry it and sell it retail to people in the area. Thanks to selling it at 8,000 VND/kg, my family made a slight profit. However, according to Mr. Tanh, this price is not common in the market."

Meanwhile, some other households suffered heavy losses due to choosing unsuitable varieties, resulting in rice not flowering, pest infestations, and very low yields, only reaching 1-2 quintals per sao (approximately 1000-200 kg per 1000 square meters). Despite the losses, many farmers still had to harvest to improve the soil and continue planting for the upcoming summer-autumn crop.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Lam Dong province, in the 2025-2026 Winter-Spring crop season, the entire province will plant approximately 56,400 hectares of rice, an increase of nearly 2% compared to the same period last year. The production area is mainly concentrated in the southeastern communes of the province such as Nam Thanh, Duc Linh, Bac Binh, and Ham Thuan Bac. The expansion of the planted area and the application of scientific and technical advancements have contributed to improving rice yield and quality.

However, the agricultural sector acknowledges that rice production still faces many challenges, especially market price fluctuations and rising input costs. Therefore, the locality advises farmers to continue switching to high-quality rice varieties suitable for local farming conditions; and at the same time strengthen production and consumption linkages to stabilize output and improve economic efficiency in subsequent seasons.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/kinh-te/lua-dong-xuan-trung-mua-gia-thap-20260429181207495.htm