Observations in the eastern localities of the province indicate that the prices of many types of vegetables are currently low.
When we arrived, Mr. Truong Hung (Ho Hamlet, Tan Dien Commune, Dong Thap Province) was hiring workers to harvest his family's 4 acres of basil. The basil sold for 7,000 VND/kg. Mr. Hung shared: "This season, the yield of basil is not high. The selling price is too low, and all costs have increased, so the profit is only about 1,000 VND/kg."
Also in Ho hamlet, Mr. Huynh Van Oanh's family has just finished harvesting 1.8 acres of dill. The vegetables were bought by traders at 5,000 VND/kg. Due to the extremely low price and low yield, even though more could be harvested, Mr. Oanh decided to spray pesticides and discard the crop, leaving the land to dry.
Mr. Oanh said: "Now all kinds of vegetables are cheap, not just dill. Farming costs have increased for fertilizer, pesticides, gasoline, and oil, but the selling price of agricultural products has decreased."
Meanwhile, in Phu Thanh commune, Dong Thap province, when we arrived, Mr. Bui Minh Luan was watering his family's more than one hectare of white radish. According to Mr. Luan, more than a week ago, white radishes were priced at 4,000 VND/kg, but now they have dropped to only 2,500 VND/kg.
Mr. Luan shared: “My radish crop is almost ready for harvest in about half a month. On average, one hectare of radishes yields about 4 tons. With the current price of 2,500 VND/kg, the profit is very small due to high costs; mainly, we only make up for the labor. Hopefully, the price will increase in the coming days.”
Also in Phu Thanh commune, Ms. Quach Thi Ngoc Lam grows 2 acres of bok choy. After Tet, the prices of all kinds of vegetables remained stable. However, in recent days, the price of bok choy has dropped sharply.
According to Ms. Lam, two plots of bok choy are expected to yield about 8 tons. However, the current price of bok choy is only 3,000 VND/kg, a decrease of about 4,000 VND/kg compared to more than 10 days ago. At this price, farmers are essentially making no profit and losing money on their labor.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Quang, Director of Hoa Thanh General Agricultural Cooperative (Long Binh commune, Dong Thap province), said that the prices of all types of vegetables are currently low. Currently, in the market, the prices of vegetables such as jute mallow, water spinach, sweet cabbage, mustard greens, bok choy, etc., are at 2,000 - 3,000 VND/kg. At this price, farmers are not making a profit.
The cooperative currently buys all of its members' produce at a floor price of 4,500-5,000 VND, depending on the type of vegetable.
“On average, the cooperative supplies the market with 8-9 tons of various vegetables every day. In recent days, we have had to struggle due to the high increase in production and business costs. Currently, transportation costs have doubled; packaging and labeling have also increased by about 30%,” said Mr. Nguyen Thanh Quang.
In reality, the sharp drop in vegetable prices is a common situation currently. This is due to favorable weather conditions and abundant supply, while consumption remains slow, leading to price reductions. Many farmers who produce using traditional methods and do not have established sales networks are forced to sell at prices determined by traders, resulting in low profits or even losses.
T. DAT
Source: https://baodongthap.vn/rau-mau-lai-rot-gia-a238888.html
