Lam Dong gardeners worry about lack of vegetables for Tet

Prices of many types of vegetables in Da Lat are high - Photo: N.TRI

At a working session with the industry and trade sector of Lam Dong province on quality control and support for agricultural product consumption, especially for Tet, the industry and trade sector of Ho Chi Minh City proposed to include cut flowers in the price stabilization list and transportation solutions.

Prices of many vegetables increased by 40%

Speaking with Tuoi Tre on December 20, Mr. Bui Trung Kien, director of Xuan Thai Thinh Company (Lam Dong), said that due to the heavy rains that have sharply reduced productivity, the prices of many types of vegetables sold by gardeners and traders have increased by 25-40% compared to early December, such as green lo lo at 40,000 VND/kg, carol lettuce at 25,000-28,000 VND/kg, spinach at 35,000-37,000 VND/kg, green beans at 30,000-40,000 VND/kg, cucumber at 20,000 VND/kg...

"If the weather continues to get worse and there is a lot of unseasonal rain in the coming time, there is a risk that many types of Da Lat vegetables supplied to the Tet market will be in short supply and prices will increase," Mr. Kien worries.

According to Mr. Kien, the unit's supply capacity in the month before Tet is about 300 tons, down about 20% compared to the stable period. Therefore, the company is trying to find solutions such as increasing planting, diversifying supply sources to hopefully control selling prices, and improve purchasing power which is decreasing compared to previous years.

Meanwhile, with the capacity to supply 20-30 tons of vegetables per day, Mr. Nguyen Hong Phong, director of Phong Thuy Company (Lam Dong), said that this year the North suffered from floods and cold weather, so the demand for imported vegetables from Lam Dong was higher.

Therefore, if the weather in Lam Dong continues to have unseasonal rain, the supply of many vegetables and fruits will likely decrease sharply.

However, Mr. Phong hopes that with the production time of most leafy vegetables being around 25-30 days, if the weather is good, many gardeners will increase their seeding, ensuring a supply for Tet with good prices.

Not to mention the prices of root vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, radishes, etc. are still basically stable because they are less affected by the weather.

Many suppliers and retailers said that because consumer demand this year is quite slow, even down 30-40% compared to before the pandemic, they will try to control prices within their ability, especially selling to the supermarket system which is always given priority for stability, in case of price increase, it will also be around 20%. However, with the floating price, vegetable prices at the market during Tet are likely to be more difficult to control.

Lam Dong proposes Ho Chi Minh City to support transportation

Sharing at the working session between the Ho Chi Minh City and Lam Dong industry and trade sectors on December 20, Mr. Nguyen Viet Duy Khoi, director of Viet Farm Company Limited (Lam Dong), was concerned that if the transportation and processing of goods are not done carefully, the quality of vegetables will not be guaranteed.

Therefore, it is necessary to consider building more warehouses and harvesting centers in Ho Chi Minh City. This will help preserve vegetables longer, thereby improving the quality of agricultural products and contributing to price stabilization, especially during peak times such as the end of the year.

Ms. Cao Thi Thanh, Deputy Director of Lam Dong Department of Industry and Trade, said that many transport units are worried about overload and congestion at markets in Ho Chi Minh City during the peak season at the end of the year, which could affect the quality of vegetables and fresh flowers, especially the congestion that often occurs at Ho Thi Ky flower market.

“Vegetables and fresh flowers are short-lived products, so their quality can easily be affected if transportation is difficult. Fresh flowers can even be thrown away after just two days of being held. Therefore, I hope Ho Chi Minh City will consider providing support,” Ms. Thanh said.

At the meeting, representatives of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Lam Dong proposed that Ho Chi Minh City create conditions to increase the amount of fresh cut flowers sold in supermarkets to avoid the situation of excess that must be dumped, which often appears in markets, especially during the peak Tet holiday.

Regarding this issue, Mr. Nguyen Nguyen Phuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City, said that he would make recommendations and proposals to agencies and businesses to calculate support to remove transportation barriers. Regarding the story of flower consumption, Mr. Phuong proposed to include fresh cut flowers in the list of stabilized goods, which could be piloted first.

“The city is promoting a market stabilization program and it has been well received by many consumers. Therefore, if Lam Dong fresh flower products participate in this program, they will have the opportunity to increase sales in supermarkets and have a wide open output,” said Mr. Phuong.

With logistics affecting the price of agricultural products to Ho Chi Minh City, the leaders of the city's industry and trade sector have proposed that the logistics management agencies of the two localities increase cooperation to find solutions, especially taking advantage of carrying more goods for empty trucks.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nha-vuon-lam-dong-lo-thieu-rau-tet-20241221084819744.htm