Agricultural products prices fall, farmers face many difficulties

(LĐ online) - In the last days of May, in the vegetable growing areas of Don Duong district, prices of some agricultural products dropped, consumption decreased, and some vegetable products had almost no outlet, making farmers restless.

Mr. Dien's family's mangrove garden has high productivity but low selling price.

In the middle of a lush garden of tiger prawns in Quang Tan village, Quang Lap commune, Mr. Nguyen Quang Dien said: "This crop of tiger prawns has a high yield, is uniform, and has a beautiful appearance, but there is no price." According to Mr. Dien, not long ago, the price of tiger prawns dropped to a record low, only about 2,500 VND/kg. Although the price has now increased to about 10,000 VND/kg, it is still too low compared to the investment cost and expectations of growers. "Now I just hope the price will increase a little more to recoup the capital" - he shared.

Although the current price of pig heart has increased compared to a few days ago, Mr. Dien is still worried about the risk of losing capital.

Not only celery, many other vegetables in the area are also under heavy pressure from purchasing power and market prices. Mr. Nguyen Anh Tam, from Quang Tan village, said that his family suffered a heavy loss in this year's celery crop. "I invested in 4.5 sao of celery. In previous years, each sao could earn nearly 20 million VND, but this year, the price is only 1/4, not enough to cover fertilizer costs and care. I had to sell at a loss to recover some of the money," Mr. Tam shared.

Celery prices are lower than every year, so gardeners lose their investment capital.

Not long before, Mr. Tam also experienced a drop in onion prices. He said: “In the first months of the year, onion prices were only about 1,000 - 2,000 VND/kg, while in the same period last year they were about 6,000 VND/kg. Some households could not sell their goods, so they had to leave them in stock, which then spoiled and had to be thrown away. Never before has onion prices dropped so sharply.”

Some small-scale farmers are holding back, waiting for more positive signals from the market.

According to Mr. Hoang Ngoc Bao Son - Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Quang Lap commune, since the beginning of the year, many agricultural products have continuously decreased in price, and output is uncertain and unstable.

“Although the products meet quality standards, consumption is still very difficult. The selling price is not enough to cover investment costs, farmers do not make a profit, forcing many households to abandon their land or reduce their production area,” Mr. Son shared.

The selling price is not enough to cover investment costs, many farmers are forced to abandon their gardens and not take care of them.

In Lac Lam commune, Mr. Nguyen Huu Doan - Director of VietGAP Lac Lam Clean Vegetable Cooperative said: Since the beginning of the year, the prices of many agricultural products have decreased sharply, on average 30 - 50% compared to the same period last year. "For example, Nova cabbage has decreased from 3,500 VND/kg to only 1,000 to 2,000 VND/kg; onions have decreased from 10,000 VND/kg to 5,000 VND; chrysanthemums have decreased from 5,000 VND/bunch to 2,000 VND/bunch" - Mr. Doan informed.

The price of paro onions of VietGap Lac Lam Clean Vegetable Cooperative remains stable thanks to the consumption linkage contract.

However, according to Mr. Doan, some products of the Cooperative such as spinach, cabbage, eggplant, paro onion... still maintain stable prices thanks to consumption contracts with businesses such as Da Lat Asuzac Foods and Nature Foods.

“Production according to the value chain, meeting VietGAP standards and having a contract for consumption has helped farmers feel more secure and minimize risks when the market fluctuates,” he emphasized.

Currently, Lac Lam VietGAP Clean Vegetable Cooperative has 14 members participating, cultivating over 20 hectares with mainly flowers and commercial vegetables following VietGAP process, aiming at sustainable and safe production for consumers.

Prices of some agricultural products have dropped due to oversupply and decreased consumption.

According to authorities, the main reason for the sharp decline in prices of some agricultural products is that supply exceeds demand, while purchasing power at traditional markets has decreased significantly. In addition, small-scale, fragmented production and lack of linkages in the value chain make farmers vulnerable to price fluctuations.

The unstable price situation has created anxiety and caution among many farming households when entering the new production season. Some families have had to temporarily leave their land vacant, not rushing to replant, waiting for more positive signals from the market.

The mangrove garden is ready for harvest but there are no buyers.

Faced with this reality, Ms. Tou Prong Nai Khoan - Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Don Duong district said that the local agricultural sector is orienting people to switch to production according to standards such as OCOP, VietGAP to increase the value of agricultural products. At the same time, it encourages promoting the value chain linkage model and signing consumption contracts with businesses.

“Switching from individual production to a cooperative, associational, and consumption model, combined with the application of technical advances to reduce input costs, will help people stabilize output, increase economic efficiency, and limit being forced to lower prices by traders,” Ms. Nai Khoan emphasized.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/kinh-te/nong-nghiep-nong-thon/202505/nong-san-rot-gia-nong-dan-gap-nhieu-kho-khan-b7f0e01/