The prolonged cold weather has caused watermelons in Gia Lai to fail to meet export standards, and watermelon prices have dropped sharply. Mr. Hoang complained: "I grow 6 hectares of watermelons, with a yield of 20 tons/hectare, and the average selling price is only 4,000 VND/kg. Total revenue is only 300 million VND, while investment costs have amounted to more than 950 million VND. My family has suffered huge losses...".
Watermelon crop failure, low price, farmers left penniless
The 2024-2025 Winter-Spring watermelon crop in the southeastern districts of Gia Lai province is entering the harvest stage. However, instead of the joy of a bumper crop, the watermelon fields are tinged with gloom. Poorly developed watermelons, small fruits that do not meet export standards, have caused traders to buy sparingly. Not only is the crop failing, but the price of watermelons has also dropped sharply, leaving farmers "empty-handed" after many months of hard work.
Traders come to the garden to buy watermelons at low prices because the watermelons do not meet standards.
Sharing with PV Dan Viet, Mr. Le Van Hoang (40 years old, from Binh Dinh), a farmer who rents land to grow melons in Ia Sao commune, Ia Pa district, shared: "Every year, trucks come to the fields to buy. But this year, the melons are small and do not meet standards, so traders buy at low prices. I grow 6 hectares of melons, the yield is less than 20 tons/ha, the average selling price is only 4,000 VND/kg. Total revenue is only about 300 million VND, while the investment cost has reached more than 950 million VND. My family has suffered a big loss."
"The melons have been sold, but I still can't sleep because of the debt. The borrowed capital is now at a heavy loss, I don't know where to get the money to pay it back. I've been taking care of the melon field for months, just hoping to have some extra to take care of my family, but I never expected to fall into debt," Mr. Hoang said, choking up.
Traders come to the garden to buy watermelons at low prices because the watermelons do not meet standards.
Also falling into a loss situation, Mr. Tran Van Binh (52 years old, from Binh Dinh) said: "I have rented land to grow melons in Gia Lai for 10 years, and I have never seen a year as difficult as this year. The yield has decreased by half compared to previous years, reaching only 20-25 tons/ha. Before Tet, the price of melons was 8,000 VND/kg, but now it is only 4,000 VND/kg. Previously, traders deposited 200 million VND/ha, but when harvesting, they reduced the price, only paying 160 million VND/ha. After deducting all expenses, I suffered a heavy loss, and I don't know how to pay off my debt."
From expectation to disappointment
Mr. Ksor Ut (residing in Chu Mo commune, Ia Pa district) also encountered difficulties. With 2 hectares of melons grown on his family's available land, he had hoped to make a high profit like previous years. However, the prolonged cold weather caused the fruit to be small, and the selling price was low, only 6,000 VND/kg for grade 1 watermelon and 4,000 VND/kg for grade 2 watermelon. Mr. Ut was sad: "After so much effort in taking care of the fruit, the price dropped miserably when harvesting. If we don't accept to sell, the melons will all rot. This crop is lucky to break even, but most likely we will lose money."
Explaining the reason for the sharp drop in melon prices, Mr. Le Hoai Nam, a trader in Gia Lai, said: "This season's melons are small, do not meet export standards, and are only consumed domestically. After Tet, purchasing power decreased sharply, traders only bought sparingly, so the price of melons decreased accordingly."
Mr. Ksor Ut - a watermelon farmer in Chu Mo commune, Ia Pa district, Gia Lai province.
According to Mr. Vo Ngoc Chau - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Krong Pa district, this year's Winter-Spring crop of watermelons was planted later than previous years. The prolonged cold weather caused the plants to grow poorly, with an average yield of only 15-20 tons/ha, half that of last year.
According to data from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Gia Lai province, the entire southeastern region of the province has about 1,500 hectares of watermelon, which is currently entering the harvest season. However, with the current situation, many farmers cannot avoid the risk of heavy losses.
Source: https://danviet.vn/tan-tac-mot-mua-dua-hau-gia-lai-trong-6ha-chi-het-950-trieu-ban-dong-ban-tay-duoc-300-trieu-kho-20250213150012931.htm
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