Orange prices increase slightly, farmers still have no profit
Cau Ke district is a large orange growing area of Tra Vinh province, the current orange price ranges from 3,000 - 4,000 VND/kg, a slight increase compared to more than a month ago. However, this price is still lower than expected and not commensurate with the efforts and costs that farmers have spent.
Ms. Le Thi Ut, an orange grower in Tam Ngai commune, said that more than a month ago, the price of beautiful oranges was only from 1,000 - 2,000 VND/kg, while bad oranges were not bought by traders.
"Now the price has increased but is only about 3,000 - 4,000 VND/kg. Meanwhile, the yield is decreasing because the fruit trees bear uneven fruit," Ms. Ut added.
In the same situation, Mr. Le Van Tam, a farmer with more than 1 hectare of orange in the locality, said that each year he rents 1,000m2 of land for 7 million VND, not to mention the cost of seedlings and fertilizers is also more than ten million VND.
Even beautiful oranges costing 4,000 VND/kg, after deducting the cost of pruning 700,000 - 800,000 VND/ton, farmers still do not make a profit, even losing.
"The slight increase in prices is a good sign, but for farmers to make a profit, it must reach at least 6,000 - 8,000 VND/kg," Mr. Tam added.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Thai - a trader specializing in purchasing oranges in Cau Ke, the current market consumption is still weak, especially for medium-sized oranges or bad models.
Oranges are mainly taken to unit markets such as Binh Dien, Thu Duc (HCMC), a small part is consumed in the West. But currently, the purchasing power at the market is not high, many stalls are selling slowly, so they take them at a low price and force prices.
"The export market is almost non-existent for oranges, so traders do not dare to collect them big," Mr. Thai added.
Difficulty selling due to lack of quality standards and brands
Speaking with Lao Dong, Mr. Tran Truong Giang - Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Tra Vinh province - said that the whole province currently has more than 4,600 hectares of orange cultivation, an increase of more than 1,000 hectares compared to the beginning of 2024 alone. However, most of them are still in the form of traditional, small-scale farming, lacking quality certification.
According to Mr. Giang, in many other provinces, they have organized large-scale production, applying organic processes, VietGAP, so the price is high and easy to access modern markets.
Faced with this reality, the agricultural sector has advised people to temporarily suspend the expansion of the area, and should even consider converting crops to be more suitable if output continues to be difficult.
In case people are still attached to oranges, according to Mr. Giang, it is necessary to upgrade the production process: "Towards organic, VietGAP is a mandatory route if we want products to be accepted by the market. Along with that, we must build a brand and clear, long-term consumption linkages.
Crop conversion is not easy, but if not taken action soon, orange growers will easily fall into the spiral of capital loss, Mr. Giang added.
