Quang Ngai is one of the localities with the largest areca growing area in the country, most concentrated in Son Tay district with an area of about 1,000 hectares. Normally, the price of areca fluctuates from 8,000 - 10,000 VND/kg, which is enough for areca growers to make a profit. Therefore, with the current price of fresh areca, the profit brought is difficult to match with any other fruit tree in Quang Ngai.
Because of the high price of areca nuts, these days, going to districts with large areca growing areas such as Son Tay, Son Ha, Nghia Hanh, Binh Son ... it is easy to see traders flocking to buy areca nuts. Never before have areca nuts been as expensive as this year. At the beginning of the season in early May 2024, it was 50,000 VND/kg, now it has increased to 65,000 VND/kg.
Normally, the price of areca nuts in Quang Ngai is very unstable, and only increases at the beginning of the season, lasting at most about 1 month. However, this year, the price of areca nuts increased dramatically for about 4 months, so the owners of areca gardens made a big profit.
Speaking to Lao Dong Newspaper reporter, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nghi in Hanh Duc commune, Nghia Hanh district shared: “I have been purchasing areca nuts from farmers for more than 30 years. I buy about 50 kg per day. Never before has the price of areca nuts remained at such a high level for so long as in 2024. The price of areca nuts has increased dramatically, so I cannot buy much because there are too many traders competing to buy them.”
Speaking to Lao Dong Newspaper reporters, Mr. Phan Cong Huan - Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Division of Nghia Hanh district - said that the district currently has over 700 hectares of areca trees, an increase of nearly 60 hectares compared to the same period in 2023. The reason for the increase in area is that the purchase price of areca in gardens in recent years has always been high, so farmers have boldly increased the new planting area. The areca harvest output in the first 6 months of 2024 is estimated at 3,150 tons, an increase of 101 tons compared to the same period last year.
“Areca is an easy-to-grow and easy-to-care-for tree, with low investment costs. The life cycle of an areca tree lasts for decades, so if the price is right, farmers will earn a very high profit compared to many other crops. However, areca is mainly consumed in the Chinese market, which is inherently risky due to unstable prices, so the district does not encourage farmers to grow it en masse,” Mr. Phan Cong Huan emphasized.
Like other agricultural products such as watermelon and longan, areca nuts depend heavily on the Chinese market. In years when China consumes heavily, areca growers make a profit. Conversely, in years when China does not consume, no one will buy the areca nuts that ripen on the trees.
Many people say that areca nuts, after being exported to China, will be used to make candy. Therefore, to stabilize the price of areca nuts and make them a key crop, areca growers hope that managers and businesses should carefully study the price of areca nuts in order to come up with effective solutions, to limit the situation where when areca nuts are high, farmers rush to plant areca nuts, but when areca nuts prices fall dramatically for several years, farmers destroy them.
