Mekong Delta: Dragon fruit prices increase, farmers don't have much left to sell

Mekong Delta: Dragon fruit prices increase, farmers do not have much left to sell photo 1

The prices of dragon fruit in Long An province has recovered after a long time of dropping.

On 21 April 2022, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Trinh, Chairman of the Dragon Fruit Association of Long An province said that the prices of dragon fruit has recently increased again after a long time of falling. Specifically, traders are buying red flesh dragon fruit type 1 at about 25,000 VND/kg, type 2 at about 20,000 VND/kg... At this price, farmers are quite profitable because the production costs are just over 10,000 VND/kg. Before that, for a long time, the prices of dragon fruit fell below 10,000 VND/kg, even to 3,000 - 5,000 VND/kg at times, causing farmers to suffer severe losses.

According to Mr. Trinh, the prices of dragon fruit have recovered because the clearance of fruit imports (including dragon fruit) into Chinese market at the northern border gates has been quite smooth without congestion like during Covid-19 epidemic. On the other hand, the Chinese market’s demand for this fruit is currently quite high, whereas farmers in Long An and Tien Giang do not have much dragon fruit left to sell.

Ms. Dinh Thi Phuong Khanh, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Long An province, said that the increase in the buying prices of dragon fruit is only temporary and unstable because dragon fruit is mainly exported to Chinese market via border trade which is relatively risky. Anytime the Chinese market fluctuates adversely, the prices of dragon fruit will fall causing difficulties for farmers.... Currently, dragon fruit growing localities and agencies are making efforts to assist the gradual transition to official export of dragon fruit to Chinese market, and to simultaneously improve the quality of dragon fruit, expanding to more markets in Europe and the United States... in order to become less dependent on Chinese markets.

In Cho Gao district, Tien Giang province, over the past months, due to the Covid-19 epidemic, dragon fruit could not be exported, if any, it was very little at low prices. Therefore, many people did not take care of the garden do not take care of the plants or use light bulbs. As a result,at this point of time, even though traders are buying at high prices, there isn't much left to sell.

It’s coming to the main dragon fruit season of the year. However, it will take almost one more month until dragon fruits are ready for sale.

Mr. Le Anh Thuy, Chairman of the People's Committee of Thanh Binh Commune (Cho Gao District, Tien Giang Province) shared that the end of the dry season and the beginning of the rainy season of the year marks the beginning of dragon fruit off-season in Thanh Binh. In favorable years, about 900 gardens in the commune used light bulbs to produce off-season dragon fruit (about 600 ha). Even though the cost was higher, the selling price was also high, ensuring a profit for farmers. This year, due to the impact of the price drop in the previous months, very few farmers used light bulbs for off-season. Therefore, at this time very few farmers still have dragon fruits to sell.

Long An and Tien Giang have advised farmers not to cut down dragon fruit trees, but to take good care and improve quality of the fruit to expand to new export markets.

Previously, agencies had advised farmers not to cut down dragon fruit trees, but to take good care and improve quality of the fruit to expand to new export markets, stabilizing long-term production.

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