Currently, the price of lychee on the market fluctuates from 40-80 thousand VND/kg, the highest ever. However, lychee growers in Thai Nguyen province cannot be happy because this crop has failed, with very low output.
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| In the 2023 lychee crop, after deducting all expenses, on average, Mr. Nguyen Van Huan (Bai Bong hamlet, Hop Tien commune, Dong Hy) earned more than 1 million VND per lychee tree, but this year's lychee crop was a total loss. |
Normally, at this time of year, lychees are sold everywhere, from supermarkets to traditional markets and fruit stalls. However, this year, although it is the main season, lychees are absent from the market. Walking around some traditional markets in Thai Nguyen city and Dong Hy and Vo Nhai districts, we saw very few people selling lychees. The current selling price ranges from 40-80 thousand VND/kg depending on the type.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thao, a fruit vendor at Tuc Duyen market (Thai Nguyen city), said: At this time last year, I sold each kilogram of lychee for 20-25 thousand VND and sold 50-70 kg per day. But this year, because the price of lychee has increased nearly 3 times, very few people buy it. Each day I only sell about 5-10 kg.
Nguyen Duc Viet, a famous fruit trader in Phuc Thuan commune (Pho Yen city), said: I have been in the fruit business for a long time, but I have never seen lychee purchase prices as high as this year. In previous years, I often went to lychee growing areas of Hai Duong and Bac Giang to get 1-2 tons to deliver to retailers at markets in the province, but this year, from the beginning of the season until now, I have not received any shipments, because the lychee price is high, so retailers have not placed orders.
Although lychee prices are sky-high, lychee growers in the province are saddened by an unprecedented crop failure. Having grown lychee for more than 20 years, Mr. Nguyen Van Huan (Bai Bong hamlet, Hop Tien commune, Dong Hy) has never witnessed such a severe crop failure as this year. Nearly 20 of his family's lychee trees have no fruit. Mr. Huan said: Right from the first months of the Lunar New Year, instead of flowering, the lychee sprouted leaves. Although I have used some measures to stimulate the lychee to flower, they have not been effective.
Not only Mr. Huan's family, lychee crop failure is a common situation for many households in the province. If at this time last year, Mr. To Van Hoc's family (Dong Choc hamlet, Nam Hoa commune, Dong Hy) had to mobilize all the family's labor to harvest 50 lychee trees, this year they have almost lost everything. Mr. Hoc said: The elders often say "a year of fruit, a year of paying back the branches", but usually in a bad crop year, they can still harvest about 10-20kg of fruit per tree. This year, they have almost lost everything, the amount of fruit in the garden is only enough to serve the family.
According to the authorities as well as the people’s long-term experience in growing lychees, the cause of the crop failure is due to the influence of the weather. The period from January to February of the lunar calendar is characterized by short cold spells, accompanied by prolonged rain and high humidity, which stimulates the trees to sprout leaves.
It is known that in 2010-2011, the lychee growing area in Thai Nguyen reached nearly 5,000 hectares. However, due to unstable prices and unstable output for lychees, the area gradually narrowed. Currently, the lychee growing area has decreased significantly and is only scattered in localities.
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