Sweet potato growers make big profits as prices triple

Each kilogram of sweet potato needs to be bought by traders at 15,000 VND per kilogram, 3 times higher than the same period in 2024, helping growers make high profits.

Growing more than one hectare of sweet potatoes in Ha Mon commune, Dak Ha (Kon Tum), Mr. Tung said he harvested 20 tons of tubers, earning 300 million VND. After deducting expenses, he earned nearly 150 million VND. "The potatoes sell for a high price, plus the good yield, so the profit is more stable than other crops," Mr. Tung shared.

Having lost hundreds of millions of dong in the previous crop, Mr. Hiep in Gia Lai has now recovered his capital thanks to the sharp increase in potato prices. This year, each kilogram of potatoes costs 15,000 dong, three times higher than last year. Therefore, with 3 hectares of both watercress and Japanese varieties, Mr. Hiep earned about 400 million dong, after deducting expenses.

According to Mr. Hiep, sweet potatoes are relatively easy to grow, but if the weather is unfavorable, their yield will decrease and they are susceptible to pests. Last year, prices were low, so many people abandoned their fields. This year, the area has decreased, and the price has increased.

Kon Tum and Gia Lai are two provinces with large areas of sweet potato cultivation, especially from January to April, when the weather is favorable, farmers often focus on cultivating more than other crops. This is also the largest Le Can sweet potato growing area in the country.

Le Can sweet potatoes, a specialty of Gia Lai, are grown on Le Can land, Tan Binh commune, Dak Doa district, and have been protected by geographical indications. This type of potato has a distinctive aroma, turmeric yellow flesh, is crumbly, and sweet thanks to the basalt soil rich in manganese. Meanwhile, the Japanese sweet potato variety imported from Da Lat and widely grown locally, is softer, more flexible, and sweeter than Le Can potatoes.

On the contrary, in the Western provinces, the Winter-Spring crop is favorable for rice cultivation, so the area for growing potatoes is not large.

Sweet potatoes at a garden in Kon Tum. Photo: Thanh Mai

Explaining the reason for the sudden price increase, Ms. Thanh Mai - a trader specializing in buying potatoes in the Central Highlands provinces said that this year the planting area has decreased by about 30-40% compared to the same period last year, causing a shortage of goods, pushing the price up 3 times. Many households growing potatoes can earn a profit of 100-150 million VND per hectare this year.

Traders said the price of sweet potatoes has increased due to a sharp increase in domestic consumption and export demand. Meanwhile, farmers have switched to growing coffee and pepper as prices of these crops have reached record highs. In May, when the new crop begins, sweet potato prices are expected to increase further as the area continues to decrease and during the rainy season, sweet potatoes are susceptible to spoilage.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Kon Tum and Gia Lai, the area of sweet potato cultivation this year has decreased compared to previous years. Kon Tum usually maintains about 500-530 hectares, while Gia Lai has about 5,000 hectares. However, in this year's winter-spring crop, the area of sweet potato cultivation in Kon Tum has decreased by 40%, while Gia Lai has only about 2,000 hectares, compared to 3,400 hectares last year.

The main reason was that last year's sweet potato prices were unstable, causing farmers to switch to growing rice, vegetables or fruit trees.

Authorities assess that the sweet potato market has recovered. However, the markets consuming the product are increasingly demanding in terms of product quality and design. To produce this agricultural product in a sustainable manner, farmers are forced to change their farming practices, producing according to GAP and organic processes... to create clean, food-safe and environmentally safe products.

Customs statistics show that in 2024, sweet potatoes will be the second-largest vegetable export product after chili peppers, with annual exports reaching $34.3 million, up 25.5% from 2023. In January, sweet potato exports reached just over $2 million, down 30% from the same period last year due to a sharp drop in supply.

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