Slate prices drop sharply
For more than a year, many farmers in Duc My commune, Cang Long district, Tra Vinh province have been facing a decrease in the selling price of sliced trees by about 50%, greatly affecting their income.
As a sliced farmer for more than 20 years in Duc My commune, Ms. Tran Thi Lien said that slices are the main source of income for her family. Previously, each slice she earned about 40 - 50 million VND/1,000m2. But since the beginning of 2024, this source of income has decreased by more than half, causing difficulties for her family.
To earn more income, Ms. Lien's family regretfully converted part of the land to growing coconuts. "Although coconut trees can help the economy somewhat, we hope that the price of sliced trees will soon improve. This not only helps my family stabilize our lives but also helps many other farmers overcome difficulties," Ms. Lien shared.
Similarly, Ms. Thai Thi Be Hai said that her family's sliced growing area is only about 3,000 square meters, so switching to other crops is very difficult.
According to Ms. Be Hai, with a small slice of planting area, if crops are converted, there will be no source of income to live on during the change. "The family has tightened their daily spending because the price of slices has decreased by more than 50% over the long term," Ms. Be Hai added.
Connecting to find an output
Mr. Nguyen Van Hai - Secretary of the Party Cell of Duc My Hamlet, Duc My Commune, Cang Long District - said that since seeing the sharp decrease in sliced prices, many households have switched to intercropping coconut trees to improve their lives.
"However, the local government has also informed households growing slices not to switch to growing coconuts en masse, because that will lead to supply exceeding demand, and coconut prices will decrease," Mr. Hai added.
Talking to Lao Dong, Mr. Le Quang Thanh - Chairman of the People's Committee of Duc My commune, Cang Long district - said that slices are a popular crop in the locality that brings high income to people, however, when the price of slices suddenly drops sharply, there are no signs of recovery, making people feel worried and insecure.
According to Mr. Thanh, the sharp decrease in sliced prices of about 50% has caused many households here to face many economic difficulties, some households have decided to intercrop other fruit trees to bring income to their families.
"The People's Committee of the commune is connecting with the province to create an output for this crop variety, helping local farmers not only feel secure about product output but also be able to maintain and develop the sliced tree growing profession sustainably," Mr. Thanh added.
