Summer-autumn rice crop in the Mekong Delta: Breaking even is something to be happy about!

Prices are falling, productivity is low.

Looking at his 6 hectares of ripening rice ready for harvest, Mr. Thieu Van Hai, from Truong Long Tay commune, Can Tho city, said that his family had been hesitating for a week, waiting for rice prices to "rise" before harvesting, but the results were not as expected. At the beginning of the season, traders bought fresh rice at the field for 6,000 VND/kg, but now it has dropped to 5,300-5,400 VND/kg. Meanwhile, this year's rice yield is not high, and the price of supplies has skyrocketed. "After deducting expenses, it's like my family is just working as laborers on our own land, with no profit," Mr. Hai confided.

Farmers in the Mekong Delta are harvesting their summer-autumn rice crop with anxiety as rice prices plummet. Photo: CAO PHONG

In the eastern part of Dong Thap province, harvesting the late-season summer-autumn rice crop is proving difficult due to frequent rain. Mr. Lai Van Mung's family (Phu Thanh commune, Dong Thap province) has just finished harvesting over 2 acres of Dai Thom 8 rice. To avoid heavy losses this summer-autumn rice crop, his family and many other farmers have accepted selling their rice at a low price because, at this late stage of the season, the longer it is stored, the lower the yield becomes due to rat damage.

Observations in the Mekong Delta region show that the price of fresh rice is currently only around 5,200-5,500 VND/kg, a decrease of 1,000-1,500 VND/kg compared to the previous month and 2,000-2,500 VND/kg lower than the same period last year. Along with the plummeting rice prices, this year's summer-autumn rice crop also saw a sharp decline in yield due to bad weather, heavy rain, and increased pest and disease outbreaks. Mr. Thai Van Chien (residing in Chau Thanh commune, Vinh Long province) said he just harvested 3 hectares of OM 5451 rice, with a yield of only 6.5 tons/ha, a decrease of nearly 1.5 tons/ha compared to the previous season. "This year, any household that breaks even is fortunate; those who rent land to grow rice are suffering heavy losses," Mr. Chien shared.

In the Dong Thap Muoi area (Tay Ninh province), a considerable amount of summer-autumn rice is still ripe, but farmers are delaying harvesting due to low prices. These rice fields are at risk of flooding as the Mekong River has already overflowed in many areas. Mr. Dinh Chau Phong, Deputy Head of the Economic Department of Vinh Hung commune (Tay Ninh province), reported that the local authorities are coordinating with the provincial agricultural sector to urgently reinforce dikes and assist farmers in harvesting their rice before the peak of this year's flood season.

Minimize production costs as much as possible.

According to rice exporting businesses, there are many reasons for the sharp drop in rice prices in the Mekong Delta recently, including the Philippines (which imports over 40% of Vietnam's total rice exports) temporarily suspending rice imports for 60 days, effective from September 1, 2025, to protect domestic farmers from falling rice prices.

According to the Vietnam Food Association (VFA), the average price index for global exported white rice last week was $416/ton, down $7/ton from the previous week, down $15/ton compared to July 2025, and down $228/ton compared to the same period last year. Thai 5% broken rice is currently priced at around $356/ton, down about $3/ton from the previous week, down about $22/ton compared to the previous month, and down about $212/ton compared to the same period last year.

In the Mekong Delta, rice prices have continued to fall over the past two weeks. By mid-August 2025, Vietnamese businesses had exported 5.875 million tons of rice, worth over $3 billion, representing a 2.88% increase in volume but a 16% decrease in value compared to the same period in 2024. The increase in volume but decrease in export value reflects the challenging global rice export landscape this year, placing a significant demand on the agricultural sector to find fundamental solutions to stabilize rice output for farmers.

When the Philippines temporarily suspended rice imports, domestic rice processing businesses also stopped purchasing paddy. Meanwhile, the summer-autumn crop is currently being harvested, leading to an oversupply and a sharp drop in paddy prices. “In addition, since the beginning of 2025, a large amount of paddy has been imported into Vietnam from Cambodia, resulting in inventory buildup. India has also announced plans to release over 20,000 tons of rice onto the market… These factors have made rice exporting businesses hesitant to purchase paddy, negatively impacting the price of fresh paddy,” commented Mr. Ly Thanh Tam, Director of Hoa Lua Co., Ltd. (Tay Ninh).

Therefore, the Department of Agriculture and Environment of An Giang province has recently issued a document requesting the Department of Industry and Trade of the province to coordinate efforts to boost rice production and strengthen connections to promote rice consumption. The focus is on working with rice trading companies, especially those with export licenses, requesting them to propose specific purchasing plans and expedite the purchase of rice from farmers. The Department of Industry and Trade is also requested to coordinate and provide market information to guide production in a timely manner.

The procurement process needs to be implemented quickly and promptly, facilitating farmers' planting of the autumn-winter crop according to the seasonal schedule. This is also a way to maintain farmers' confidence and prevent panic selling when rice prices fall. Following this proposal, the Department of Industry and Trade of An Giang province has sent a document to rice export businesses in the province, requesting them to boost the consumption of rice from the 2025 summer-autumn crop. Rice trading and export businesses should fulfill their signed production and consumption contracts with farmers and cooperatives, ensuring timely harvesting and preventing congestion.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Giang, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Can Tho City, stated that, in the context of difficulties in rice exports due to price fluctuations, leading to a decrease in raw rice prices in the region, farmers need to maximize the use of advanced farming methods to reduce production costs. Specifically, they should thoroughly apply production methods according to the "Sustainable Development of One Million Hectares of High-Quality, Low-Emission Rice Cultivation Associated with Green Growth in the Mekong Delta" project. Besides reducing costs for fertilizers, seeds, pesticides, etc., farmers should utilize rice straw to develop a circular economy, enhance the value chain of rice straw, and increase income in the fields.

Losses incurred due to the massive planting of HB1 rice.

In the freshwater areas along the Ong Doc River and the Western Sea (Ca Mau province), hundreds of households have finished harvesting their summer-autumn rice crop, but most are worried because they cannot sell the fresh rice. Many farmers have had to dry and store their rice, but due to heavy rains, the quality has decreased. Explaining the reason, the leaders of Khanh Binh commune People's Committee (Ca Mau province) said that last year, farmers planted the HB1 rice variety, which yielded high productivity, was easy to sell, and fetched high prices.

Seeing its effectiveness, most local farmers rushed to cultivate this rice variety during this year's summer-autumn crop. As a consequence, there was an oversupply, traders abandoned their deposits, and farmers suffered losses. In response to this situation, the Chairman of the Ca Mau Provincial People's Committee, Pham Thanh Ngai, directed the Department of Agriculture and Environment to review the summer-autumn rice consumption situation, connect businesses to participate in rice consumption in Khanh Binh commune, and promptly find solutions to overcome difficulties. At the same time, he requested the Department of Agriculture and Environment to effectively implement production chain linkages in the future, from seed selection and cultivation techniques to product output, ensuring that rice production meets market demands for smooth consumption and reasonable prices.

Losses incurred due to the massive planting of HB1 rice.

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