Consumption this week (January 13-19, 2025): Golden gourd melon, lucky grapefruit... 'sold out'

Consumption during the week from January 13 to January 19, 2025, familiar agricultural products such as grapefruit, melon... with unique shapes for Tet 'sold out' even though the selling price was ten times more expensive than normal products.

Dragon fruit is expensive

These days, fruit growers in Vinh Phuc province are busy preparing for the 2025 Lunar New Year. This year, the output of some fruits has decreased due to the impact of storm No. 3 (Yagi), however, the value of agricultural products has increased, so farmers expect a bumper crop for Tet.

With a system of LED lights and automatic drip irrigation, off-season dragon fruit is grown on an area of ​​nearly 1 hectare. This Tet season, Mr. Tran Quang Cuong's family, Tam Phu village, Van Truc commune (Lap Thach) supplied more than 2 tons of dragon fruit to the market.

Mr. Cuong excitedly said: “The price of dragon fruit during Tet is higher than last year. This year, the productivity of dragon fruit in the commune is still stable, and traders buy it at the garden at a price ranging from 30,000 - 35,000 VND/kg”.

Dragon fruit is a key crop, bringing high economic value to the people of Van Truc commune in recent years. Currently, the total area of ​​dragon fruit cultivation in the commune is more than 80 hectares. With the application of science and technology to produce off-season dragon fruit for high economic efficiency, the whole commune currently has about 15 hectares of off-season dragon fruit cultivation.

Gourd melon, gold bar, big win

This year, familiar fruits such as grapefruit, coconut, melon,... but thanks to creativity, these agricultural products are "transformed" into Tet worship items with beautiful shapes, helping to increase their value dozens of times.

Currently, shaped melons are highly valued. For example, the yellow gourd melon retails for 250,000 - 350,000 VND/fruit, the gold bar melon costs 550,000 - 650,000 VND/fruit, and the black melon with engraved letters costs 200,000 - 250,000 VND/fruit. These items are mainly being ordered and will be delivered to customers near Tet.

"Currently, engraving black melons is easier to produce because the engraving is done after harvest using a laser machine, so it is aesthetically pleasing and uniform. This year, the company increased production by 50% from 4,000 fruits to 6,000 fruits," Mr. Tung revealed.

At Farmers Market Hoang Hoa Tham (Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City), the prices of fruits for Tet decoration for customers to pre-order are quite high. For example, gourd grapefruit engraved with words costs nearly 950,000 VND/fruit, square grapefruit engraved with words costs nearly 950,000 VND/fruit, red grapefruit for the king costs 390,000 VND/fruit.

Durian price suddenly dropped sharply

Although the harvest yield is not much, in recent days, durian prices in Tien Giang province have suddenly turned around and dropped sharply.

After a period of touching and surpassing the 200,000 VND/kg mark, durian prices suddenly reversed and decreased sharply in the past few days.

Recorded on January 17, in Cai Lay area, many agricultural warehouses purchased Monthong durian (Thai) type A at prices ranging from 100,000 - 110,000 VND/kg (2.7 boxes, from 1.9 - 5.2 kg), type B at 80,000 - 90,000 VND/kg (2.5 boxes, from 1.7 - 5.6 kg).

Ri 6 durian type A costs about 75,000 VND/kg (2.7 boxes, from 1.9 - 5 kg), type B costs about 55,000 VND/kg (2.5 boxes, from 1.7 - 5.5 kg). According to records, compared to nearly 1 month ago, durian prices have decreased by about half.

According to a durian business in Ngu Hiep commune, Cai Lay district, the company has temporarily stopped purchasing goods in recent days. It is expected that the company will resume purchasing after the Lunar New Year 2025. According to the owner of this business, the price of durian is currently low, but exporting goods is also very risky.

According to the leader of Ngu Hiep Commune People's Committee, the price of durian in the commune has decreased sharply. Specifically, the price of Ri 6 durian in the commune is currently only about 74,000 VND/kg. Although the durian harvest is small, the price has decreased sharply. After the Lunar New Year 2025, farmers will harvest durian in large quantities.

According to the leader of the People's Committee of Tan Phong Commune, Cai Lay District, in the past 3 or 4 days, the price of durian in the area has suddenly dropped sharply. Currently, Thai durian is purchased by warehouses at a price of about 120,000 VND/kg, Ri 6 durian is about 60,000 VND/kg. The reason for the sudden drop in durian prices is likely due to the impact of the export situation.

“The sky-high price of durian has suddenly dropped sharply, leaving gardeners reeling. The durian harvest is not much, but the price has dropped sharply. Currently, some durian orchards in the area have stopped selling,” added the leader of Tan Phong Commune People’s Committee.

Mini lucky grapefruit attracts customers

Grapefruit is usually one of the indispensable fruits on the five-fruit tray and the family altar during Tet. However, unlike regular grapefruit, this year, on the Tet At Ty 2025 market, mini grapefruits shaped like gold bars have appeared. Weighing only 100-200 grams, each mini gold bar grapefruit is engraved with the word Tai Loc on the skin, attracting customers thanks to its unique shape. It is known that the unique fruit is sold from a garden in Ben Tre province.

Mr. Huynh Huy Khang, a gardener in Ben Tre, shared that to create these mini gold bar grapefruits, he had to start shaping them when the grapefruits first bore fruit, just the size of a thumb. Small fruits make it more difficult to put into the mold, and are more likely to be damaged or develop unevenly. However, thanks to many years of experience, this year he was successful with a fruit rate of about 70%, higher than previous experiments.

Mr. Khang said that each gold bar mini grapefruit costs 300,000 VND and was sold out by customers as soon as it was launched. "This type of grapefruit is suitable for the Tet fruit tray because of its small size, easy to display, and also symbolizes wealth and luck," the gardener shared.

Dalat flowers 'plummet', gardeners suffer heavy losses

Near Tet, the main flower varieties of Da Lat city and neighboring districts such as Lac Duong, Don Duong, Duc Trong (Lam Dong) decreased sharply, causing heavy losses for gardeners.

On January 19, the 20th of December, cut flowers serving the Tet market in Lam Dong province were still unusually quiet. Prices of most types of flowers dropped very low even though this was the peak season for flower consumption for decoration, worshiping on the 23rd of December and displaying on Tet.

Mr. Dao Van Tuan, a Tet flower trader in Ward 7, Da Lat City, said that currently, the price of the new mesh chrysanthemum variety with the best quality is about 17,000 VND/bunch of 10 branches, and the cluster chrysanthemum is only 7,000 VND/bunch of 10 branches. This price is much lower than the normal time of the year, causing flower growers to suffer heavy losses.

“Each sao (1,000m2) of chrysanthemum for Tet costs about 110 million VND. At the current selling price, growers are losing 30 - 40 million VND per sao!..”, said Mr. Dao Van Tuan.

Similarly, the largest gladiolus growing area in the country, Duc Trong district, is also quite quiet. Along Highway 20, through Hiep An commune, refrigerated trucks from the central provinces coming to buy flowers these days are only 1/3 of the number last year. The number of people coming to the locality to buy gladiolus wholesale to sell for Tet has decreased sharply, causing farmers growing this type of flower to be worried and anxious.

This year's Tet flower crop, in Hiep An commune, Duc Trong district alone, people have planted nearly 200 hectares of gladiolus, 10 hectares of chrysanthemums and 8 hectares of other flowers.

The owner of a flower purchasing warehouse in Dinh An village, Hiep An commune, Duc Trong district, said that the best quality gladiolus flowers on January 19 were only sold for 1,800 VND/plant, more than 50% of the price during Tet 2024. At this price, each sao of gladiolus flowers, growers lose about 15 million VND.

Flower growers in Lam Dong are hoping that in the coming days, flower prices will develop in a more positive direction.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Lam Dong province, the area of ​​flowers grown to serve the 2025 Lunar New Year market in the area is about 3,800 hectares. Of which, the output of potted flowers for Tet is estimated at about 7 million pots, and cut flowers supplied to the market during the At Ty Tet period is about 1.5 billion branches. This area is mainly concentrated in Da Lat city, Don Duong, Duc Trong, Lac Duong districts and Lam Ha district.

According to Consumption

Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/kinh-te/tieu-dung-trong-tuan-13-1-19-1-2025-dua-vang-ho-lo-buoi-tai-loc-chay-hang/20250120081611498