In Khanh Binh and Da Bac communes, key pumpkin growing areas of Ca Mau province, for many days farmers have entered the harvest season in a worried mood as output is facing difficulties. Pumpkin is in the peak harvest season, but traders are buying sparingly, even stopping buying, causing a large amount of agricultural products to be stockpiled right in the fields.
Pumpkin prices have decreased sharply compared to the beginning of the season, from about 10,000 to 12,000 VND per kg to 3,000 to 6,000 VND per kg. With this price level, many households do not have enough to cover production costs, and the risk of losses is present.
Not only are the prices low, but consumption also faces many obstacles. Some pumpkin areas have passed the harvest season but still have no output, facing the risk of damage. The main reason is increased transportation costs, slow consumption market, while the harvested output is concentrated at the same time.
According to functional sectors, the total output of unconsumed pumpkins in the area is estimated at about 400 to 500 tons, putting great pressure on growers.
Faced with the above situation, the Farmers' Association of Ca Mau province launched a program to join hands to rescue agricultural products, calling on organizations, businesses and people to participate in supporting consumption.
Many activities have been implemented such as connecting small traders, direct purchases at fields, transportation support, and expanding sales channels. Some mass organizations and armed units also participate in harvesting, helping farmers reduce costs.
Thanks to the synchronous involvement, hundreds of tons of pumpkins have been consumed in a short time, contributing to reducing backlog pressure and limiting damage to people.
However, rescue is mainly temporary. Reality shows that the situation of bumper crops and price drops is still repeated due to fragmented production, lack of market linkage and dependence on traders.
In the long term, functional sectors need to promote production and consumption linkages, expand markets, and develop deep processing to improve the value of agricultural products. Market forecasting work also needs to be focused on to help farmers proactively produce, avoiding recurrence of congestion during harvest season.
