Unstable agricultural products, farmers livestream to find output

Uncertain output

For nearly 15 years, Mr. Pham Van Tan (Phong Dien district, Can Tho city) has cultivated 1.5 hectares of land growing green mulberry trees, but the selling price has always been low, preventing him from improving his life.

Although he is a seasoned farmer, cultivating green mulberries to produce abundant, high-quality fruit is not difficult for this old farmer. However, the uncertain market and price manipulation by traders have significantly reduced the profits Mr. Tan receives.

“The price traders pay for mulberries directly from the orchards only ranges from 16,000 to 19,000 VND/kg, which is low compared to the market price. Once, a trader even haggled with me, offering 14,000 VND/kg. With such a ridiculously low price, how can I possibly improve my situation?” Mr. Tan said.

Unstable market conditions and low selling prices are causing difficulties for farmers. Photo: Bich Ngoc

Similarly, with 0.6 hectares of soursop orchard as the main source of income for his family, Mr. Nguyen Van Tam (Phung Hiep district, Hau Giang province) is always worried every time harvest season comes around, facing the situation of a bumper crop but low prices, or sometimes a crop failure and being forced to accept low prices from traders.

"If the harvest is good and prices are high, after deducting all expenses, the family still has a little left over to cover living expenses. But if prices are forced down and there's no market, it's a total loss," Mr. Tam said.

Find ways to adapt

Driven by the desire to avoid being exploited by low prices and to improve his living standards, Mr. Tam proactively sought ways to adapt, research, and learn how to process fresh soursop into soursop tea to supply the market.

According to Mr. Tam, in the beginning, when he first started, he faced many difficulties and failures. However, remembering how he worked hard all year round, only to have to sell his harvest at low prices, and yet his life didn't improve, motivated him to persevere.

Mr. Tam's family researches and processes soursop to be self-sufficient in their business. Photo: Bich Ngoc

“When I got my first batch of tea, which received OCOP 3-star certification, I posted the product online to sell. As customers learned about it, more orders came in. Now, my family also buys fresh custard apples from local people to process into tea. We sell more than 300kg of tea to the market each month, earning 20-30 million VND, and our lives are more stable,” Mr. Tam said.

Similarly, leveraging the development of social media, Ms. Pham Thi Y (Phong Dien district, Can Tho city) has become a "self-taught streamer," selling durian on digital platforms.

"In the 4.0 era, we have to find ways to keep up with trends. Just planting and waiting for traders to come and buy, being forced to accept low prices, won't lead to success. I just post my products online and livestream to sell without needing traders. From the selling price to the quantity, I decide everything myself, and that makes my profits more stable," Ms. Ý said.

Source: https://laodong.vn/kinh-doanh/nong-san-bap-benh-nong-dan-tu-livestream-tim-dau-ra-1342746.ldo