Rice prices have plummeted, causing concern among farmers.

These days, farmers in many areas of the province are harvesting their early winter-spring rice crop. This is a production season that is expected to be successful in terms of both yield and selling price. Despite a bumper harvest, the sharp drop in rice prices recently has caused considerable anxiety among farmers.

Harvesting the early winter-spring rice crop in Ben Cau district.

Rice prices hit rock bottom.

Busy transporting rice ashore, waiting for traders to come and buy it, Mr. Nguyen Huu Loc, residing in Ward 4, Ben Cau town, said that this season his family cultivated about 3 hectares of OM 5451 and OM 18 rice varieties. Nearly 1 hectare (OM 5451 variety) is currently being harvested, with an estimated yield of about 7 tons/ha. The selling price is around 5,200 VND/kg, a decrease of more than 2,000 VND/kg compared to last year's Winter-Spring crop.

According to Mr. Loc, after paying for fertilizers, pesticides, rice seeds, and land preparation costs, with the current rice prices, his family's profit will only be about 10 million VND, a decrease of about 7 million VND compared to the 2023-2024 Winter-Spring crop.

Mr. Phung Minh Tan, a farmer residing in Go Ngai hamlet, Phuoc Binh commune, said that his family had just harvested 0.7 hectares of Dai Thom 8 rice variety at a price of about 6,200 VND/kg, a decrease of more than 1,000 VND/kg compared to the price previously agreed upon by traders.

According to Mr. Tan, although fertilizer prices have decreased compared to the end of 2022, they are still about 150,000 to over 200,000 VND higher per bag than before the price surge; at the same time, many other costs have also increased compared to before, pushing up farmers' investment costs. With the current rice prices, almost all the profit earned is simply "earning less than their labor."

According to some traders, the price of commercial rice began to fall from the end of the 2024 Summer-Autumn crop season, but the decrease was not significant; by the end of December 2024, the price had only decreased by about 1,000 VND/kg. However, since the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Snake 2025, the price of rice has decreased by another 2,000 VND/kg.

Currently, the purchase price for some popular varieties is as follows: OM 5451 from 5,100 - 5,400 VND/kg, OM 18 and Dai Thom 8 from 6,200 - 6,500 VND/kg, IR 50404 from 5,000 - 5,300 VND/kg, ST25 around 8,000 VND/kg… These prices are 2,000 - 2,500 VND/kg lower than the same period last year.

Farmers are unhappy because they are selling their rice at low prices.

Farmers are worried.

Currently, the winter-spring rice crop in the province is just beginning to be harvested. Many rice fields in the low-lying areas along the Vam Co Dong River in Chau Thanh, Ben Cau, Go Dau districts and Trang Bang town are still in the flowering to nearly ripening stages. The harvest period may extend until the end of March and into early April 2025.

However, the current drop in rice prices right at the beginning of the season is causing great concern among many farmers who have unharvested rice, especially those who rent land for cultivation. At the current price, these households will hardly make any profit after three months of hard work in the fields.

Mr. Huynh Van Ut Em, residing in Long Vinh commune, Chau Thanh district, said that this year's winter-spring crop saw his family cultivate about 4 hectares of rice, of which more than 2 hectares were rented from relatives. Currently, his rice is in the grain-hardening stage and will be harvested in more than 3 weeks.

According to Mr. Ut Em, every year, rice prices are usually high at the beginning of the season, then gradually decrease as the harvest is in full swing. However, this year, prices have already dropped low at the start of the season, causing him great concern, because in just 10 days, when farmers simultaneously harvest their rice, the selling price will certainly fall further.

Mr. NVS, a farmer in Cam An hamlet, Go Dau district, said that his family rents 1.5 hectares of land along the Vam Co Dong river to grow rice twice a year, at a rental price of nearly 20 million VND per year. With the current rice price, if the harvest is good, he will break even, but if the price continues to fall, he will certainly incur a loss in the form of the land rent.

“For the past two years, rice prices have been high, so the landowners have also demanded higher rents. I had no choice but to agree because if I didn't rent, where would I get land to cultivate? When I first started planting, I heard that rice prices were going down, but I didn't think they would drop this much,” Mr. S added.

Farmers burn the fields after harvesting the rice.

Lower rice prices benefit consumers.

The sharp drop in paddy prices has led to a significant decrease in rice prices on the market. According to several rice retailers in the province, the price of rice has now decreased by about 25% compared to September 2024, an average decrease of about 4,000 to 6,000 VND/kg compared to the previous year.

According to observations at some rice retailers in Tay Ninh city and Hoa Thanh town, the selling prices of some types of rice are as follows: OM 380 rice ranges from 7,500 - 7,700 VND/kg; OM 18 rice from 9,200 - 9,400 VND/kg; IR 504 rice from 8,000 - 8,100 VND/kg; and 5451 rice from 8,200 - 8,400 VND/kg.

According to a rice dealer in Ward 2, Tay Ninh City, the price of paddy rice purchased directly from farmers has dropped sharply. Meanwhile, the supply of paddy rice is abundant, and the export market has not yet recovered. According to announcements from rice mills, the price of paddy rice is currently very low, almost at rock bottom, and is unlikely to fall further.

Thien Duc

Source: https://baotayninh.vn/gia-lua-giam-sau-nong-dan-lo-lang-a186857.html