Plum prices are good this year, but why are farmers in a commune in Son La province still not happy?

Clip: People buying plums in Dau village, Chieng Co commune, Son La city, Son La province.

In early May, people in the villages of Chieng Co commune are urgently harvesting plums to sell. From National Highway 6, turning into Chieng Co commune, you can occasionally see motorbikes carrying two full baskets of plums that farmers are transporting to plum collection points for sale.

According to Mr. Quang Van Kien, Dau village (Chieng Co commune, Son La city, Son La province), this year's plum crop has decreased by about 80% due to drought. Although the selling price is higher than last year, the income is not significant. Photo: Thuy Hanh.

According to Dan Viet reporters at Dau village, Chieng Co commune, the price of plums here is being purchased at collection points at prices ranging from 20,000 - 30,000 VND/kg.

Mr. Quang Van Kien - a plum farmer in Dau village, shared: This year, due to the prolonged hot weather right when the plum trees are blooming and bearing fruit, the family's 1ha plum yield decreased by about 80% compared to last year. Therefore, although the plum price this year is higher than last year, the income is still insignificant.

Despite the crop failure, smiles still appear on the faces of plum farmers because prices are 2-3 times higher than last year. Photo: Thuy Hanh.

Every morning when picking plums, Mr. Kien's family sells 200kg of plums. With the price of 20,000 VND/kg of plums, the family earns 4 million VND. It is expected that this year's plum crop, Mr. Kien's family will only harvest 5 tons of fruit. If the price remains the same as now until the end of the season, the family will earn about 100 million VND.

According to Mr. Kien, last year's plum crop, his family sold more than 10 tons and earned more than 100 million VND. If there was no drought, this year's plum crop yield would remain the same as last year, and his family's income would double.

Ms. Bien regrets that this year plum prices are high but the harvest is poor. Photo: Thuy Hanh.

Sharing with reporters, Ms. Leo Thi Bien - a plum buyer in Dau village, said: Compared to previous years, the plum yield of Ms. Bien's family and farmers in Dau village only reached about 20 - 30%. The reason is that due to prolonged drought, plum trees withered, fruit fell, and the fruit was small. Despite the crop failure, the price of plums this year is 2 - 3 times higher than last year. With this price, farmers are regretful because if the crop had not failed, many households would have made high profits this year.

The plums of the people were purchased by Ms. Bien's family and packed into 50kg carton boxes to be transported to markets in the areas: Hanoi, Vinh Phuc, Bac Giang, Thai Nguyen.

Plums bought from local people are packed into 50kg carton boxes by Ms. Bien's family to be transported to wholesale markets in provinces and cities for sale. Photo: Tue Linh.

Speaking with Dan Viet reporter, Mr. Quang Van Hai, Vice Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Chieng Co commune, informed: The whole Chieng Co commune has 860 hectares of plum, of which 500 hectares are post-harvest plums, the rest are three-flower plums. This year's plum crop, due to drought, has reduced output by over 50% compared to last year.

According to the Vice Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Chieng Co commune, despite the drought, the price of plums this year is higher than last year, ranging from 20,000 - 40,000 VND/kg depending on the type.

For a long time, plums grown in Chieng Co land have been famous for being delicious, crunchy, juicy, and seedless. Photo: Tue Linh.

It is known that, besides coffee, plum is the main crop in Chieng Co commune. For decades, plum trees have brought in hundreds of millions of dong in income each year, helping plum growers have food and savings.

Regarding the development orientation of plum trees in the area, according to Mr. Hai, in the coming time, the Commune Farmers' Association together with the Farmers' Association branches of the villages will continue to coordinate with the Agricultural Service Center of Son La city to guide farmer members to apply science and technology to plum tree care. Thereby, contributing to improving productivity, quality and income for farmers.

Source: https://danviet.vn/man-hau-nam-nay-duoc-gia-ma-sao-nong-dan-mot-xa-cua-tinh-son-la-van-khong-vui-20240509120637542.htm