Farmers are anxious about the dragon fruit harvest for Tet (Lunar New Year).

Since the end of September in the lunar calendar, many farmers in Ham Thuan Bac district have entered the peak period of using artificial lighting to cultivate dragon fruit for the Tet holiday. However, despite the current high price of dragon fruit, they remain anxious and apprehensive.

Ms. Luong Thi Thanh Hien in Ham Duc commune has over 600 dragon fruit trees. This year, she dedicated 300 trees to artificial lighting for the Tet (Lunar New Year) crop. The remaining 300 trees were artificially ripened and harvested early, selling for 15,000 VND/kg. Although the current price of dragon fruit is quite high, she still doesn't dare to place her hopes on the Tet crop, because dragon fruit prices are usually unstable, rising quickly but also falling quickly due to dependence on the Chinese market. “Currently, the price of off-season dragon fruit, bought directly from the orchard by traders, ranges from 13,000 to 17,000 VND/kg depending on quality and appearance. I'm happy to see the high price, but I'm afraid that when Tet comes and the dragon fruit ripens and is harvested in large quantities, the price will drop. If the price of dragon fruit for Tet only reaches about 10,000 VND/kg, then growers won't make a profit…” Ms. Hien shared.

Every year, in addition to the main crop that naturally ripens during the rainy season, farmers in Ham Thuan Bac district proactively induce dragon fruit to flower during the off-season. The dragon fruit crop for Tet (Lunar New Year) is the most heavily focused on using artificial lighting. However, some years bring good harvests and high prices, while other years bring good harvests but low prices due to increased production, oversupply, and reduced demand from the Chinese market. This year, although the area under dragon fruit cultivation in the district has decreased significantly, there is still a large quantity in other areas. Farmers are focusing on inducing off-season flowering and fruiting for sale during Tet, so production is expected to increase. Therefore, most dragon fruit growers in the district are hesitant to believe that the Tet dragon fruit crop will fetch high prices. Especially in recent years, the price of dragon fruit during Tet has fluctuated erratically, sometimes dropping sharply, causing losses for growers.

According to Mr. Luong Minh Dat, Deputy Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Ham Thuan Bac district, the total area of ​​dragon fruit cultivation in the locality is currently about 5,800 hectares, a decrease of more than 3,530 hectares compared to before 2019. The entire district has 14 dragon fruit growing area codes in 14 communes and towns, and 36 codes for packaging facilities exporting dragon fruit to the Chinese market. Several new models and varieties have been implemented, such as: the yellow-skinned dragon fruit model of Trung Binh Cooperative in Ham Duc commune with an area of ​​100 hectares; and the Ecuadorian bird's nest dragon fruit model in Liem Binh village, Hong Liem commune with an area of ​​3 hectares. In addition to applying new varieties in dragon fruit production, some cooperatives have also boldly invested in processing confectionery, wine, and soft drinks from dragon fruit and flowers to help boost the consumption of this fruit…

Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/ham-thuan-bac-nong-dan-thap-thom-vu-thanh-long-tet-115408.html