Selling a jackfruit is only enough for a plate of rice
jackfruit, once considered an easy-to-sell, easy-to-make crop, now has a very low selling price, causing difficulties for growers.
Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, in Tra On commune, said that type 1 jackfruit is currently priced at only 4,000 - 6,000 VND/kg, while jackfruit is only 2,000 - 2,500 VND/kg. With an average weight of 7 - 10kg per fruit, farmers sell a jackfruit for just one plate of rice.
According to Mr. Hung, jackfruit trees usually take 1.5 to 2 years to start bearing stable fruit. During the care process, jackfruit is prone to phagocytosis, rot or flies, if not closely monitored, the whole pair will be damaged.
"The jackfruit garden is in good fruit season, but only selectively harvested, keeping most of it waiting for prices to increase," Mr. Hung added.
In Long Ho commune, Mr. Tran Van Quy said that he has more than 1,000m2 of Thai jackfruit, previously he sold tens of millions of VND per season, but this year he picked hundreds of kilograms but could not sell them for 1 million VND.
"Fertilizer and pesticides increase in price but output is unstable, losses are piling up. In the next crop, if prices do not improve, half of the area will be destroyed to switch to growing other crops to reduce risks," Mr. Quy added.
Traders buy jackfruit in moderation
Not only are growers bored, but buyers are also cautious. Mr. Tran Van Cuong, a trader specializing in purchasing jackfruit in Vinh Long, said that the output time of jackfruit is slow, only daring to buy from familiar gardens.
According to Mr. Cuong, the cost of hiring workers to cut and transport during the hour is also high, from 300,000 - 600,000 VND/day, and the output selling price is not guaranteed, so they stop buying in large quantities.
"Previously, jackfruit exported to China by small-scale trade was priced at 30,000 - 60,000 VND/kg, now "only buy in moderation", not daring to collect in large quantities because of the big risk", Mr. Cuong added.
According to statistics from the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection of Vinh Long province, the province currently has about 4,180 hectares of jackfruit, mainly Thai jackfruit.
The professional sector recommends that people do not expand the jackfruit growing area, should focus on improving techniques, preventing pests and diseases, cultivating in a safe direction and gradually linking with businesses to sell directly.
jackfruit trees were once expected to be a "rich" tree, now causing many gardeners in Vinh Long to struggle when prices dropped miserably. When the market is unstable and the output is not sustainable, "selling a jackfruit is enough to buy a plate of rice" is not only a complaint but the reality of farmers at this time.
