Severe crop failure due to storms
According to locals, in Dong Cao village (Me Linh, Hanoi) grows a rare red grapefruit variety favored by nature.
The characteristic of this "royal" red grapefruit variety is that it bears green fruit, gradually turning yellow in August and September. In October, it turns pink and close to Tet, the grapefruit will turn a beautiful bright red.
Mr. Luong Van Phuong - Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dong Cao Red Grapefruit Cooperative (Me Linh, Hanoi) said that red grapefruit has been grown in Dong Cao village for about 70 years.
“In recent years, we have started researching how to put red grapefruit into molds. Using gold bar, fortune, longevity, gourd molds, etc., we can squeeze red grapefruit right after it bears fruit, and when it becomes fruit, it will have unique shapes,” Mr. Phuong added.
"This year, my family and my neighbors suffered relatively large losses due to the impact of Typhoon Yagi. My family alone lost 60% of the yield, equivalent to nearly 2 billion VND. The grapefruits that we took care of and hung carefully still maintained their quality when they reached customers," Mr. Phuong shared.
Floodwaters flooded into the garden, destroying all of Mr. Phuong’s pomelos overnight. Out of more than 3,000 pomelos, only about 100 red pomelos remain.
Double the price due to scarcity
Mr. Trinh Dinh Hoang - a trader who came to buy grapefruit, shared: ''This year, you have to be quick to buy grapefruit because the quantity supplied to the market is very limited. The combination of unique quality and appearance with special flavor makes this red grapefruit variety very popular''.
According to farmers, this year's productivity is low mainly due to the impact of the storm, and partly because many people in the provinces have known the red grapefruit brand, so demand has increased.
Up to now, 80% of Mr. Phuong's red grapefruit has been sold to traders, leaving only 20% for traditional customers who still order every year.
Due to the limited supply, the price of red grapefruit is skyrocketing this year. The price of red grapefruit usually increases from 80,000 to 100,000 VND/fruit (buying price at the garden), while shaped red grapefruit is twice as expensive at 450,000 - 500,000 VND/fruit.
