Crop failure, low price, durian farmers struggle to find the origin of cadmium

During the durian harvest season, instead of being excited, many gardeners in Tien Giang are saddened by the situation of "failure of harvest - low price - difficulty in exporting". In particular, the problem of cadmium contamination - a heavy metal that has caused many shipments to be returned, continues to be a big concern for farmers.

However, most farmers today are still unclear about the causes and prevention methods and do not receive official guidance from professional agencies.

Double blow: Crop failure - Loss of value

Mr. Le Van Phi (Long Tien commune, Cai Be district) said that his family grows about 1 hectare of durian. However, this year, there was a lot of rain and wind, so the yield was not high. His garden expected to yield about 5 tons, but many of the fruits were damaged by worms and rotten.

"In previous years, the tree would bear 90 fruits, but now it only bears 30-40 fruits, and some trees only bear 10 fruits," said Mr. Phi.

Along with the crop failure, durian prices this year are also considered by people to have “hit rock bottom” when the price at the garden is only about 40,000 VND/kg. With the current low price, durian growers are in a state of suffering losses.

The price of durian at the garden in Tien Giang is currently only fluctuating at 35,000 - 48,000 VND/kg.

“From the beginning of the season until now, my garden has been selling for around 35,000 - 48,000 VND/kg. This price is a big loss, not enough to cover investment costs, fertilizer, pesticides, and labor. We have to sell for around 70,000 VND/kg to start making a profit. This is the lowest price in the past 5 years,” Mr. Phi sighed.

Similarly, Mr. Le Kim Kha (Ngu Hiep commune, Cai Lay district) said that the price of durian this year has decreased by more than half compared to last year.

“Last year it was about 100,000 VND/kg, this year it is only 50,000 - 60,000 VND/kg, sometimes only 30,000 VND. With this price, it is very difficult for people to make a profit because the cost of growing durian is very high,” said Mr. Kha.

According to Mr. Kha, this year, in addition to low prices, the weather was very harsh, causing a lot of flowers but low fruit set. Many trees continuously dropped fruit, some trees had only 10-20 fruits left. Both crop failure and low prices resulted in double losses.

In addition to farmers who directly grow durian, traders also bear great risks when market prices can drop sharply a few days after closing the purchase with the gardeners.

Mr. Nguyen Tuan Khanh (Cai Lay town, Cai Lay district), who has been a durian trader for more than 20 years, affirmed that compared to previous years, this year durian growers are facing many difficulties. The reason is that China is tightening control over yellow O and cadmium.

“If we talk about the first impact, we have to talk about the direct growers first, then the next stages, each stage has its own impact. However, in general, people this year are facing double difficulties: crop failure and price loss,” said Mr. Khanh.

“I heard about cadmium, but I don't know what cadmium is…”

“Cadmium contamination” - a phrase that became familiar to farmers after durians were returned from China. However, when asked what cadmium is and why it is in durian, most gardeners just shook their heads.

"I heard that durian is contaminated with cadmium, but as a farmer, I don't know what cadmium is or where it comes from," said Mr. Le Van Phi.

Mr. Le Kim Kha (Ngu Hiep commune, Cai Lay district).

According to Mr. Phi, phosphate fertilizer is often used to treat tree roots in the early stages of the season, and this could be a source of cadmium contamination: “Petrophosphate fertilizer takes a long time to dissolve, it stays in the ground, and if the tree sucks it up, it could contaminate the fruit. But I can only guess, I looked it up online, but no one has come down to explain specifically.”

Mr. Le Kim Kha said that some people may know about the cadmium issue, but the quantity is very small, and most farmers do not understand this issue clearly. He is the same.

“In my opinion, cadmium can be contaminated from phosphate fertilizer, because when farmers treat tree roots, they often use phosphate fertilizer before treating other factors,” Mr. Kha speculated.

When asked if farmers know how to prevent cadmium contamination, Mr. Kha sighed: “If we knew exactly where it came from, it would be easy to handle. But now we can only guess from phosphate fertilizer, so we limit its use. Whether it works or not is unknown.”

Most people when asked about how to control cadmium admitted that it is difficult to handle it completely for many reasons: fragmented production, lack of state management, lack of laboratories, and no guidance from agricultural engineers.

“I have been growing here for more than ten years, doing the same thing, using the same fertilizer and pesticides, but this year it suddenly happened. I don’t know why,” Mr. Kha added.

Mr. Nguyen Tuan Khanh went to the durian garden to buy from the people.

Because of cadmium concerns, many gardeners choose to minimize the amount of fertilizer and pesticides. However, this makes plants more susceptible to pests and diseases.

“Durian is in season now, and the fruit is growing but there are a lot of worms. If we don’t spray pesticides, they will eat the fruit, but if we spray, we are afraid of cadmium contamination and we can’t sell it. We are stuck on both sides,” said Mr. Nguyen Tuan Khanh.

Some farmers have proactively switched to using new “heavy metal-free” drugs, but they only rely on the seller’s advertisements or self-research. The lack of scientific verification and lack of official information channels are causing farmers to “grope in the dark”.

Expecting intervention from authorities

Most people said that although they wanted to change, use safer materials, less residual drugs… but they did not know which choice was right. They could only listen to the advice of agents or drug companies.

"Engineers from material companies come down to talk about the seminars, but we don't know if the medicine is safe because no one checks it," Mr. Le Van Phi worried.

Most durian gardens in Tien Giang are assigned a growing area code and are carefully cared for.

Talking about wishes, most people have the same desire: They want the involvement of authorities, and they want support in terms of science and management. Currently, all solutions are "spontaneous", causing farmers to bear all the risks.

“Every farmer wants beautiful, clean fruit that can be sold for a good price. But to do it right, someone must show us, and we must know clearly what we are doing wrong, what is contaminated with cadmium, and where it is contaminated. Farmers are very proactive, but knowing how to avoid it is also difficult. Everything must be based on science, not guesswork,” Mr. Phi added.

Mr. Pham Quoc Khanh, a technical staff member of Ngu Hiep Durian Cooperative (Ngu Hiep Commune, Cai Lay District) confirmed that the source of information about the source of cadmium contamination has not yet been verified.

According to Mr. Khanh, the cadmium problem in durian is a major concern for farmers and consumers. The lack of official information makes it difficult for farmers to determine the cause and preventive measures: “Farmers want to change but lack specific information and guidance.”

Although farmers are willing to adopt new practices if given clear guidance, there is currently no adequate training or technical support.

Durian crop failure and price drop have caused people to suffer a double blow.

To support farmers, Mr. Khanh recommended that there should be coordination between authorities, scientists and cooperatives to develop training programs, provide information and technical support to farmers.

“We hope that the Government and scientists will intervene, measure and analyze clearly the cause of cadmium contamination. At the same time, we need to support people in accessing safe medicines and fertilizers, and have fundamental solutions so that people can feel secure in production, ensuring quality for export.

Only then will farmers be confident enough to produce clean agricultural products that meet export standards without having to grope through a forest of vague information," Mr. Khanh suggested.

According to Thy Hue (VTCNews)

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/mat-mua-mat-gia-nong-dan-trong-sau-rieng-loay-hoay-tim-nguon-goc-cadimi-post322796.html