Durian, the "billion-dollar fruit" is about to be harvested, why don't Lam Dong farmers still close the contract?

However, learning from previous experiences, in addition to focusing on tending their orchards until harvest time, many farmers continuously monitor the market, carefully waiting for the right day to finalize contracts with traders to ensure their own interests.

According to reports, over the past two months, the purchase price of durian by businesses and traders has been above 70,000 VND/kg for Thai durian and above 55,000 VND for Ri6 variety. Notably, at this time, Thai durian is being purchased by traders at the farm gate for over 80,000 VND/kg.

In Da Pal commune, Da Teh district, farmers have been harvesting durian sporadically for the past month and are preparing for the peak harvest season. These days, the family of Mr. Nguyen Van Luan in Ton K'Long village has been receiving quite a few traders who have come to discuss signing contracts to purchase Thai durian.

Processing durian for export at Long Thuy Company.

Mr. Luan said that his family is currently cultivating 4 hectares of durian, and in the 2024 season, the expected durian yield is estimated at over 50 tons. This year, despite unfavorable weather conditions due to prolonged heat, thanks to meticulous care, his durian orchard still yielded high productivity, with large, beautiful, and attractively colored fruits. With the current durian prices, his family expects to earn at least 5 billion VND in revenue.

According to Mr. Luan, more than a month before harvest, many traders from within and outside the province came to his orchard to finalize contracts and purchase the entire durian yield. They were willing to pay high prices and put down deposits to buy the durian. Especially in orchards with large yields, businesses came directly to the farm to sign purchase contracts with quite clear terms.

According to Mr. Luan, compared to previous years, farmers are now very cautious in finalizing durian price contracts. This is because there have been many cases where, after signing contracts and receiving deposits, traders would hold onto the fruit in the orchards and delay harvesting at harvest time to force farmers to lower prices.

In the durian purchasing process, there are unexpected price fluctuations. For example, one year, traders agreed on a price of 60,000 VND/kg at the farm, but by the time the durians were harvested, the price had risen to 80,000 VND/kg, so they harvested all of them.

Conversely, there are cases where traders sign contracts at 70,000 VND/kg, but by the time the durians are harvested, the market price has dropped to only 50,000 VND/kg, causing them to forfeit their deposits. There are also cases where farmers cheat, signing contracts to sell to traders at a fixed price, but when the market price rises on the harvesting day, they find ways to sell to other traders.

"Therefore, even though traders are constantly offering prices, for this year's durian crop, I will only finalize contracts with traders when it is 7-10 days before harvest time," Mr. Luan said.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Da Teh district, the locality currently has about 1,700 hectares of durian; of which, the area entering the stable production period from the 6th year onwards is 900 hectares, with a total expected yield of more than 20,000 tons. Some communes with large durian growing areas include Da Kho, My Duc, Quang Tri, Da Pal...

Compared to other traditional crops in the area, durian cultivation has helped people increase their income many times over. During this year's durian harvest, the district's Department of Agriculture and local authorities have advised farmers to remain calm, closely monitor market information and their orchards, and wait until the trees are old enough before finalizing prices and selling.

Mr. Vo Huu Long, Director of Long Thuy Co., Ltd., said that farmers are currently beginning the durian harvest season. Some people sign contracts with traders from the beginning and monitor their orchards to harvest ripe fruit; others wait for the durians to fall to sell to smaller local traders. Currently, durian prices on the market are very high, so with their experience, farmers need to monitor price fluctuations and carefully study the purchase contracts signed with traders to avoid unfavorable issues later on.

Furthermore, due to unstable and fluctuating prices, durian farmers in the province need to be cautious when making decisions, carefully review sales contracts, focus on long-term production linkages, and comply with recommendations from relevant agencies and local authorities to ensure a successful and profitable durian harvest.

According to the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection of Lam Dong province, the total area of ​​durian trees in the province is currently 21,147 hectares; of which, 11,554 hectares are under harvest, and the projected production for 2024 is 135,000 tons. To date, the province has been granted 116 planting area codes with a total area of ​​5,597.13 hectares; of which, 114 durian planting areas cover 5,489.13 hectares, and there are 10 durian export packaging facilities with a total factory area of ​​13,519 m2 and a maximum capacity of 755 tons/day. These planting areas were inspected by the General Administration of Customs of China during the first online inspection in 2023 and rectified according to the requirements of the Chinese side.

During this year's durian harvest, the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection of Lam Dong province also issued recommendations to farmers; at the same time, it requested local authorities to actively monitor and promptly intervene in the current situation of "competitive buying and selling."

Source: https://danviet.vn/sau-rieng-loai-qua-tien-ty-sap-cat-den-noi-vi-sao-nong-dan-lam-dong-van-cha-chiu-chot-hop-dong-20240710154530629.htm