Slow purchasing power causes Hương Sơn deer antler prices to drop.

After the Lunar New Year, it's time for deer antler harvesting. Unlike the usual excitement, this year deer farmers in Huong Son ( Ha Tinh province ) are quite worried as reduced demand has caused antler prices to fall.

The current price of Huong Son deer antlers ranges from 9-10 million VND/kg.

This time last year, the price of deer antlers fluctuated between 11-12 million VND/kg, sometimes reaching 13 million VND/kg. However, this year, especially after the Lunar New Year, the price of deer antlers has dropped to only about 9-10 million VND/kg. Even for pairs of antlers with less attractive appearance, breeders have proactively reduced the price to 8-8.5 million VND/kg, but they are still difficult to sell.

According to our research, Hương Sơn deer antlers are mainly consumed through three channels: people buying them themselves, traders purchasing them on order, and facilities processing antlers into products. This year, both direct and indirect buyers have decreased. In addition, antler products are selling poorly, so production facilities are buying them in moderation. With reduced demand and concerns about not being able to sell, deer farmers are also proactively lowering prices.

The drop in deer antler prices has made Mr. Thinh "less happy" compared to previous antler harvesting seasons.

Mr. Ho Huy Thinh (Phuong Hoang village, Son Ham commune) shared: "This year, my family has 4 deer that produce antlers. Thanks to careful care, the antlers are of good quality and beautiful in appearance, each pair weighing from 0.8 to 1.2 kg. We worked hard caring for the deer all year, hoping to reap the rewards after Tet with high prices, but this year, the price of antlers has dropped, which makes me very sad. I hope that in the coming days, the deer antler market will become vibrant again."

This year, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Ly's family (village 9, Son Hong commune) has 20 male deer that produce antlers.

Given the current market situation, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Ly (village 9, Son Hong commune) is extremely worried as he has 20 male deer for antler harvesting this year. To date, his family has sold 10 pairs, and another 10 pairs are ready for harvest.

Mr. Ly shared: “This year, the deer antler harvest is abundant, with antlers weighing between 0.8-1kg per pair, and some deer even yielding antlers weighing 1.3kg. However, because the deer antler market is quite sluggish, my family is worried that it will be harder to sell them in the future, and the antlers will become overripe, so we have to harvest them early. We still have 10 pairs of antlers that are almost ready to be harvested, and we hope that the price will gradually increase again so that we can have a more joyful antler harvest season.”

As a buyer of deer antlers, Ms. Le Thi Huyen Trang (Dai Vuong village, Son Phu commune) said: “In previous years, there were many customers from inside and outside the province contacting me to order antlers, but this year, the market is quite quiet, so I'm buying cautiously. Currently, I freeze the antlers and only sell them when customers ask. Besides that, to sell the antlers and attract new customers, I regularly livestream and promote the product on social media platforms. Hopefully, in the coming time, the price of deer antlers will gradually increase, and the market will soon become vibrant again.”

Ms. Trang hopes the deer antler market will soon become vibrant again.

Huong Son district currently has a deer population of over 44,500, of which more than 25,000 have already produced antlers. To date, only about 50% of the antlers have been sold. According to Tran Quang Hoa, Head of the District's Agriculture and Rural Development Department: “In the coming time, the locality will focus more on encouraging people and traders to increase promotion through social media and e-commerce platforms so that Huong Son deer antlers can reach more customers. Hopefully, the price of deer antlers will soon increase again, helping deer farmers feel secure in continuing their profession.”

Thuy Anh

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/nong-nghiep/suc-mua-cham-nhung-huou-huong-son-rot-gia/262223.htm