Farmers suffer losses as fruit prices plummet

The prices of Thai jackfruits, Taiwanese green mangoes, and pineapples in the Mekong Delta plunged simultaneously, causing many households to fall into reduced circumstances because of losses.

When the export of Thai jackfruits was smooth, farmers had an income of about VND400 million-VND600 million per hectare per year. (Photo: SGGP)

Thai jackfruit farmers in Tien Giang Province face difficulties due to decreasing prices.

On the afternoon of June 3, Mr. Mai Nguyen Nam Phuong, a Thai jackfruit collector in Hamlet 5 of Tam Binh Commune in Cai Lay District of Tien Giang Province, said that it was not the first time the price of Thai jackfruits had dropped. However, it dropped too much this time.

Due to the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak, it is difficult for goods to pass through the border gates. Meanwhile, China is the main market of Thai jackfruits, but exporting jackfruits to this market is difficult. It leads to an oversupply, so the price of jackfruits declines.

Most traders buy non-selected jackfruits at only VND3,000-VND4,000 per kg. 

Many farmers said that at present, the price of Class-1 Thai jackfruits whose weight is from 10 kilograms per fruit or more is only about VND11,000-VND12,000 per kg, while that of non-selected Thai jackfruits is only VND3,000-VND4,000 per kg, much lower compared to the previous years. In September last year, the price of Class-1 Thai jackfruits was up to VND50,000-VND60,000 per kg because, at that time, the Chinese market bought jackfruits heavily.

According to Mr. Mai Nguyen Nam Phuong, besides the decreasing price, currently, the consumption of Thai jackfruits is extremely slow. His facility only supplies one container for export per day, while in previous crops, nearly a dozen containers were exported each day.

In Hau Giang Province, there are about 6,000 hectares of Thai jackfruit trees grown in Chau Thanh, Chau Thanh A, and Phung Hiep districts. Local farmers also suffer losses. Many farmers said that because the price of Thai jackfruits is declining and consumption is sluggish, most traders buy non-selected jackfruits at only VND3,000-VND4,000 per kg. Meanwhile, the production cost of jackfruits ranges from VND6,000 to VND7,000 per kg, leaving farmers empty-handed.

In the Mekong Delta, the growing area of jackfruit trees has exceeded 30,000 hectares.

In the previous years, when the export of Thai jackfruits was smooth, and jackfruits attracted consumers and had good prices, farmers had an income of about VND400 million-VND600 million per hectare per year. Jackfruit is considered a promising fruit tree, so its growing area has increased rapidly in recent years. In the Mekong Delta, the growing area of jackfruit trees has exceeded 30,000 hectares.

The difficulty is that the price of Thai jackfruits fluctuates unexpectedly and unstably because it depends largely on the strong or weak purchasing power of the Chinese market. Moreover, most Thai jackfruit farmers do not have a connection with enterprises in terms of consumption, so the consumption is unstable.

The price of pineapples also drops sharply due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Not only Thai jackfruit farmers, but many pineapple growers in Tien Giang, Kien Giang, and Hau Giang provinces also encounter difficulties when the price of pineapples now drops to VND5,000 per fruit, whose weight is from 1 kg or more. Meanwhile, about two weeks ago, pineapples fetched from VND10,000 to VND12,000 per fruit. Many mango growers also struggle this year, especially Taiwanese mango growers, when the price plunged to roughly VND3,000-VND5,000 per kg because export was unfavorable.