Coming to Giao An commune (Lang Chanh district, Thanh Hoa province), if you ask about Mr. Ha Van Dung (58 years old), everyone will know him. Local people even call him "Dung Cau" because his family owns thousands of areca trees.
Sharing with Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Dung said that his family currently has about 5 hectares of areca, the number of trees ready for harvest is about 1,000 (1 hectare), each areca tree yields 10 - 15 kg of fruit. In previous years, the price of areca fluctuated from 15,000 - 45,000 VND/kg. Even in 2021, the price of areca increased dramatically to 85,000 VND, but in the following years it decreased sharply.
“This year, the price of areca nuts has increased dramatically. At the beginning of the season, traders only bought them at prices ranging from 45,000 to 50,000 VND/kg. However, in recent days, the price of areca nuts at the garden has skyrocketed to 90,000 VND/kg,” said Mr. Dung.
Mr. Dung commented that the sharp increase in areca nut prices may be due to increased demand in the Chinese market. However, the stability is not high, prices fluctuate. Most of the areca nuts after harvest will be dried and used as raw materials to produce areca candy.
Currently, in addition to the income from selling areca nuts, Mr. Dung's family also grows and sells areca seedlings, at a price of 22,000 VND/tree and sells areca spathes at a price of 3,000 VND/piece. "It is expected that by 2026, my family will have about 10,000 areca trees for harvest. If the price is as good as it is now, we can earn from 4 to 5 billion VND/year," said Mr. Dung.
Thanks to the effective areca growing model, Mr. Dung has created jobs for about 10 seasonal workers, with a salary of 200,000 VND/day.
According to the representative of Giao An Commune People's Committee, the locality currently has nearly 20 hectares of areca palms. Of these, only a part of Mr. Dung's family's area has been harvested. Initially, seeing that areca palms bring high economic value, the locality also identified this as a key crop.
“However, recent years have shown that the output of areca nuts is completely dependent on the Chinese market, prices are unstable and fluctuate erratically. Therefore, the locality has advised people not to expand the area yet, to avoid the risk of a good harvest but low prices,” said a representative of Giao An Commune People’s Committee.
