In recent days, along the main road leading to Ninh Son commune, farmers have spread tarps on both sides of the road, dumping pumpkins into piles to gradually sell. Everyone is complaining because the local pumpkin yield is high but the price is low, with few buyers.
Pumpkins are ready to be harvested but there are no traders to buy them, so they are left in the fields.
Mr. Doan Van Chi's family (residing in Ninh Son commune) planted 6 hectares of pumpkin with toad skin since the beginning of July, expected to harvest around October, but now it's November and there are still no traders asking to buy.
People use cars to carry pumpkins to the street and pile them up.
“ This year, I invested 100 million VND, and expected to harvest about 80 tons of pumpkin. Currently, the price of pumpkin is only 1/3 of last year, but there are no traders asking to buy it,” said Mr. Chi.
Similarly, dozens of tons of pumpkins belonging to Mr. Hoang Cong Nhat's family (residing in Ninh Son commune) had to be transported by car and piled up along the road. Mr. Nhat lamented: "A few years ago, growing toad skin pumpkins sold well, so many people rushed to grow them. This year, because there were no traders coming to buy, my family gave them to relatives far away, the rest are piled up waiting for buyers."
Mr. Nhat said that to grow pumpkins like this, farmers have to take care of them for 3 months straight.
According to Mr. Nhat, Ninh Son commune people grow two types of pumpkins, the toad skin pumpkin (wheel pumpkin) is being sold for 2,800 - 3,000 VND/kg, and the bean pumpkin is less than 2,000 VND/kg. Last year, pumpkins were sold for 7,000 - 10,000 VND/kg.
“ Traders said that the southern provinces grow a lot so they don’t come to buy. Many traders even use the excuse that the squash is old and bad, dividing it into grades 1, 2, and 3 to force down the price. So we just pile it up, then take it to the market to sell, and consider it a way to recoup some of the capital,” Mr. Nhat shared.
People passing by stopped to buy to support the farmers.
According to Mr. Mai Xuan Binh - Vice Chairman of Ninh Son Commune People's Committee, this year the area of pumpkin cultivation in the commune has increased significantly compared to last year, from 250 hectares to more than 450 hectares.
The reason is that acacia is planted in a forest that has been exploited and is being replanted, so people take advantage of the vacant land to intercrop pumpkins. Along with that, because last year, pumpkin yielded high yields and brought in high profits, people in the area planted a lot.
Ripe pumpkins are left in the field.
Regarding the output of pumpkins, in previous years, many traders in the southern provinces came to buy. However, this year, the southern provinces are also in the pumpkin harvest season, so traders did not come to buy, causing farmers' pumpkins to be congested. It is estimated that the output of pumpkins still in people's fields is up to 6,000 tons.
“ Currently, the authorities are coordinating with people to post pumpkin products on social networking sites, contacting some restaurants of businesses in Ninh Hoa town and other localities in Khanh Hoa province for consumption, but the quantity is not high yet, ” said Mr. Binh.
MINH MINH
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