Fruit prices are expected to rise during the Lunar New Year holiday.

For gardeners, fruit fetches higher prices during the Lunar New Year holiday.

Despite the approaching Lunar New Year, many orchard owners and small traders report that the prices of many types of fruit have not shown any signs of increasing, purchasing power remains slow, and fruit production is also limited.

Many farmers say that in previous years, the prices of many types of fruit during Tet (Lunar New Year) were usually high, helping farmers earn high profits. However, recently, the market has become increasingly unpredictable. Even close to Tet, the prices of some types of fruit are not high, causing difficulties for farmers.

According to many orchard owners, pomelo is a popular fruit for Tet (Lunar New Year) celebrations because it has a long shelf life and beautiful color. Currently, many pomelo growers are busy preparing for harvest to bring to the Tet market. However, this year's pomelo prices are not high, causing concern among many orchard owners.

Mr. Vo Trung Tinh (My Hoa commune, Binh Minh town) said: “This year's weather has made it difficult to manage flowering and fruit preservation. Besides, because the pomelo orchard is old and has been heavily exploited, the yield is no longer high.” “With Tet approaching, consumption is lower than expected, leading to lower prices. Meanwhile, the quantity of high-quality pomelos available for Tet is also less,” Mr. Trung Tinh added.

According to Mr. Truong Ngoc Trong, Director of My Hoa Nam Roi Pomelo Production and Consumption Cooperative (My Hoa commune, Binh Minh town), the price of pomelo has remained low since the beginning of the year.

This year's pomelo yield is also not high due to difficulties in inducing flowering and fruit setting, while the area of old pomelo trees has increased. The price of grade 1 pomelos for Tet (Lunar New Year) is currently 30,000-40,000 VND/kg, while grades 2 and 3 are 20,000-25,000 VND/kg, a decrease of 15,000-20,000 VND/kg compared to the same period last year.

“Consumption is slow right now, the market is very stagnant. Last year, regular customers and distributors placed many orders, but this year we only see sporadic orders. Some old customers haven't even paid deposits yet, whereas in previous years they paid long ago. Therefore, this Tet holiday, the cooperative expects to supply about 30 tons of pomelo, a decrease of about 30% compared to last year. The main market is within the province and some neighboring provinces,” Mr. Trong said.

Some pomelo growers also said that, to minimize risks, they have treated a portion of their orchards for harvesting during Tet (Lunar New Year), while the rest will be harvested after Tet.

"While pomelo prices are somewhat better, mango prices have only slightly increased in the past few days, but this year's mango production is not abundant," said Mr. Nguyen Van Truc Linh, Director of Quoi Thien Mango Cooperative (Quoi Thien commune, Vung Liem district).

This year, mango growers faced many difficulties in managing flowering and fruiting due to the impact of weather and the age of the trees, resulting in a 50% decrease in mango production for the Tet market compared to last year. Mango prices for Tet this year are also slightly higher than a few months ago. Specifically, Cat Chu mangoes are priced from 18,000 VND/kg, and Cat Num mangoes from 25,000 VND/kg. Currently, some traders are coming to buy, and harvesting is expected to be completed around the 25th of the 12th lunar month.

“To serve the Tet market this year, I’m also processing 20 acres of mango trees to bear fruit from now until around March. The price of mangoes is currently stable, equivalent to last year’s price, so farmers are making a profit. However, because the mango yield is lower than last year, the profit has also decreased,” Mr. Linh shared.

While fruit growers are still waiting for the last-minute fruit market, many small fruit vendors at local markets share the same sentiment due to the current slow demand for fruit. Ms. Tran Thi Diep, a fruit vendor at Vinh Long market, said: "At this time, the demand for some fruits such as pomelo, mango, custard apple, papaya... has increased by 10-20% compared to normal days."

These are the types of fruits commonly used in the traditional five-fruit offering tray. However, demand has decreased by about 30-40% compared to last year. The prices of some fruits are also at an average level, not as high as last year. "We have to wait until around the 25th or 26th of the 12th lunar month to know if the market will be good or not. Therefore, I don't dare order too much; I'll just sell as much as I can," Ms. Diep said.

Specifically, dragon fruit costs 30,000-35,000 VND/kg, pomelo for Tet (Lunar New Year) is 40,000-45,000 VND/kg, mandarin oranges are 50,000 VND/kg, Hoa Loc mangoes are 60,000-70,000 VND/kg (down 30,000-40,000 VND/kg compared to the same period last year), and custard apples are 70,000 VND/kg…

The demand for fruit at the market hasn't increased much.

According to many small traders, besides consumers tightening their spending, imported fruits such as grapes, apples, oranges, tangerines, and cherries are more widely available, and the prices of some imported fruits are even cheaper than domestic fruits.

With about a week left until Tet (Lunar New Year), many orchard owners and small traders are feeling anxious, waiting for the last-minute market conditions, hoping that fruit prices will be high and the market will be more bustling so they can celebrate Tet more fully and prosperously.

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