Low prices at the beginning of the season
These days, Mr. Pham Vania - a member of the Fruit Production Cooperative of Nhon Tho 1A Hamlet (Phong Dien District, Can Tho City) - is actively taking care of Ri6 durian garden to harvest fruit in late April this year.
In addition to the increased production costs due to the impact of bad weather, Mr.ia is also worried about the output of durian when prices are falling sharply compared to the same time last year.
"Buying power and selling prices this year are relatively low. If a few years ago, early- harvest durian was often priced high, such as last year up to 110,000 - 120,000 VND/kg, this year it has decreased by nearly half. This made me very worried. Hopefully, when the harvest comes, the price of durian will not continue to decrease so that farmers can conveniently consume and make a good profit" - Mr.ia shared.
Mr. Nguyen Dac Hung - Director of the Fruit Production Cooperative of Nhon Tho 1A Hamlet (Phong Dien District, Can Tho City) - said that due to the impact of the market, durian prices are often unstable. Since around February this year, the price of Ri6 durian type A has been purchased at 65,000 VND/kg, type B is 45,000 VND/kg.
According to Mr. Hung, compared to last year, the price of durian at the beginning of the crop has decreased a lot, but in general, farmers still make a profit. "The decrease in durian prices despite the beginning of the season has somewhat affected farmers' psychology. But if people can ensure productivity and durian is of good quality, then at the current price, the profits will still be stable, said Mr. Hung.
Proactively increase profits
Talking to Lao Dong, MSc. Le Thanh Tung - Vice President of the Vietnam Gardeners Association - said that agricultural product production can always face unusually high prices.
The market is a story of consumers and producers regulating themselves. The market's ups and downs are a normal phenomenon. Today, it can be with durian, tomorrow it will be with mango, rice and other agricultural products... We should not rely on some kind of luck to change it but must proactively deal with it," said Mr. Tung.
MSc. Le Thanh Tung believes that finding causes and solutions will often be slower than grasping market requirements. To overcome this situation, MSc. Le Thanh Tung suggests 2 factors that manufacturers can take the initiative in.
Accordingly, producers should not expect too much from a certain fruit that can bring super profits because it will face competition between domestic and foreign producers or will be regulated by the importing country.
The remaining thing is that farmers need to be proactive in their income and profits by minimizing production costs as well as regulating crop productivity appropriately, not chasing output. This method both nourishes crops and does not put pressure on farmers' output.
