Video clip: Locals buying plums in Dau village, Chieng Co commune, Son La city, Son La province.
In early May, people in the villages of Chieng Co commune are busily harvesting late-season plums to sell. Turning off National Highway 6 into Chieng Co commune, you occasionally see motorbikes carrying two baskets full of plums, being transported by farmers to plum collection points for sale.
According to Mr. Quang Van Kien from Dau village (Chieng Co commune, Son La city, Son La province), this year's plum crop has seen a yield reduction of about 80% due to drought. Although the selling price is higher than last year, the income is negligible. Photo: Thuy Hanh.
According to observations by a reporter from Dan Viet newspaper in Dau village, Chieng Co commune, the price of late-season plums here is currently being purchased by collection points at prices ranging from 20,000 to 30,000 VND/kg.
Mr. Quang Van Kien, a plum farmer in Dau village, shared: "This year, due to the prolonged hot weather coinciding with the plum trees' flowering and fruiting season, the yield from my family's 1-hectare plum orchard has decreased by about 80% compared to last year. Therefore, even though the price of plums is higher this year than last year, the income is still insignificant."
Despite the poor harvest, smiles still graced the faces of plum farmers because prices were two to three times higher than last year. Photo: Thuy Hanh.
Every morning, Mr. Kien's family harvests 200 kg of plums and sells them. At a price of 20,000 VND/kg for bulk plums, the family earns 4 million VND. They anticipate harvesting only 5 tons of plums this year. If the price remains the same until the end of the season, the family will earn approximately 100 million VND.
According to Mr. Kien, last year his family sold over 10 tons of plums and earned more than 100 million VND. If there hadn't been a drought and the plum yield this year had remained the same as last year, his family's income would have doubled.
Ms. Bien regrets that although plums are fetching good prices this year, the harvest has been poor. Photo: Thuy Hanh.
Speaking to a reporter, Ms. Le Thi Bien, a plum buyer in Dau village, said: Compared to previous years, the plum yield of her family and other farmers in Dau village is only about 20-30%. The reason is the prolonged drought, which caused the plum trees to wither, drop fruit, and produce small fruits. Despite the crop failure, the price of plums this year is 2-3 times higher than last year. At this price, farmers are regretting it because if there hadn't been a crop failure, many households would have made a high profit from this year's plum harvest.
The plums grown by local farmers are purchased by Ms. Bien's family and packed into 50kg cardboard boxes for transport and sale at markets in Hanoi, Vinh Phuc, Bac Giang , and Thai Nguyen.
The plums purchased from local people are packed into 50kg cardboard boxes by Ms. Bien's family to be transported and sold at wholesale markets in various provinces and cities. Photo: Tue Linh.
Speaking with a reporter from Dan Viet newspaper, Mr. Quang Van Hai, Vice Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Chieng Co commune, informed: The entire Chieng Co commune has 860 hectares of plum trees, including 500 hectares of late-season plums and the rest are Tam Hoa plums. This year's plum crop is experiencing a more than 50% decrease in yield compared to last year due to drought.
According to the Vice Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Chieng Co commune, despite the drought, the price of late-season plums this year is higher than last year, ranging from 20,000 to 40,000 VND/kg depending on the variety.
For a long time, plums grown in Chiềng Cọ soil have been famous for their delicious taste, crisp texture, juiciness, and easy-to-remove pits. Photo: Tuệ Linh.
It is known that, besides coffee, plums are the main crop in Chiềng Cọ commune. For decades, plum trees have brought in hundreds of millions of dong in income each year, helping plum growers to make a living.
Regarding the development orientation of plum cultivation in the area, according to Mr. Hai, in the coming time, the Farmers' Association of the commune, together with the Farmers' Association branches in the villages, will continue to coordinate with the Son La City Agricultural Service Center to guide farmer members in applying scientific and technical methods to plum tree care. This will contribute to improving productivity, quality, and income for farmers.
Source: https://danviet.vn/man-hau-nam-nay-duoc-gia-ma-sao-nong-dan-mot-xa-cua-tinh-son-la-van-khong-vui-20240509120637542.htm
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