Low avocado prices
According to statistics, Di Linh and Bao Lam are the two localities with the largest avocado acreage in Lam Dong province. This is a fruit tree that is mainly intercropped with coffee gardens by local people. Of which, Bao Lam district has about 1,800 hectares, with a total output of about 10,000 tons and Di Linh has about 2,000 hectares, with a total output of about 15,000 tons.
Currently, 034 avocado is purchased by traders and transported to provinces and cities across the country for consumption. The key markets are Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Hanoi.
Avocado garden 034 of Mr. Nguyen Van Su's family (Hamlet 1, Loc Ngai commune, Bao Lam district) is grown according to organic standards, but grade 2 avocados still have no buyers, falling all over the garden.
Meanwhile, apart from B'Lao Food Company (Loc Son Industrial Park) purchasing a small portion of avocado output (about 200 tons), in Lam Dong province there is no other unit purchasing avocado for processing, causing supply to greatly exceed demand.
Visiting Mr. Nguyen Van Su’s intensive avocado garden of over 1 hectare (Hamlet 1, Loc Ngai Commune), we witnessed the scene of avocados falling all over the garden. According to Mr. Su, the avocado garden was grown purely and cared for organically, so he almost did not use pesticides. This year, his family started harvesting avocados from the end of May and has continued until now.
"Although it is organic avocado, this year's consumption is very difficult. This year, the avocado garden yielded about 25 tons. At the beginning of the season, grade 1 avocados were only sold for 18 - 20 thousand VND/kg. At this time, they are only sold for 8,000 - 10,000 VND/kg. Grade 2 avocados are only priced at 2,500 - 3,000 VND/kg. The selling price is not enough to pay for people to pick them, so my family only collects grade 1 avocados, the rest have to fall all over the garden" - Mr. Su said.
Mr. Ho Hai - Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Loc Ngai Commune, said: The whole commune has about 300 hectares of 034 avocado, with a total estimated output of 500 - 550 tons. Of which, about 10 hectares are grown purely organically; the remaining area is intercropped with coffee gardens by people.
"Although the price of 034 avocado has dropped to rock bottom and is practically free, it is still very difficult to sell. Partly because the price is too cheap and few people buy it, many households let old avocados fall all over the garden, which is a heartbreaking sight."
The 1.5-hectare 034 VietGAP avocado garden of Mr. Duong Manh Do's family (Loc An commune, Bao Lam district) only sells for 8,000 VND/kg of grade 1 avocado.
Similarly, Ms. Luu Thi Chinh (living in Hamlet 5, Dam Bri Commune, Bao Loc City) said: "This year, the price of avocados is too cheap, so I can only sell about 20% of the output at the beginning of the season. For nearly half a month now, picking avocados to sell is not enough to pay for labor. Currently, there are about 3 tons of avocados left in the garden, now they are old and falling all over the garden. It's a pity to see the avocados falling, so I've looked for many people to give them to, but no one has come to pick them."
Cut down avocado trees to plant coffee
In Loc An commune (Bao Lam district), Phuoc Thinh Agricultural Service Cooperative has attracted 10 farming households to grow avocado 034, a famous variety in the locality for many years. On average, each household participating in the Cooperative has from 1.5 to 2 hectares of avocado 034. In previous years, avocado prices were high, helping households to prosper.
With 8 sao of 034 avocados intercropped in her coffee garden, Ms. Luu Thi Chinh (residing in Dam Bri commune, Bao Loc city) did not harvest them, leaving them all over the ground because the price was too cheap.
Present at the 034 avocado garden, grown purely according to VietGAP standards, of over 1.5 hectares of Mr. Duong Manh Do - Director of Phuoc Thinh Cooperative, Mr. Do said that this year is the worst avocado harvest ever.
"In previous years, my family found a buyer for the 034 avocado output for 10 households in the Cooperative. This year, the avocado price is so cheap that every family has to take care of it themselves. My family has a relationship in Da Lat so we still pack the goods every day, but the average selling price is only 8,000 VND/kg, other households can only sell for about 2,000 - 3,000 VND/kg. The reason for this situation is that there is no unit or business that has come forward to buy avocados for the people, most people only sell to traders and small retail markets, so the output is not guaranteed," said Mr. Do.
The price of 034 avocado is so cheap that avocado growers cannot afford to hire people to harvest it.
According to Mr. Do, out of 10 households participating in the 034 Avocado Cooperative, 4 households have cut down avocado trees to switch to growing coffee, including one household that completely cut down its avocado garden.
Mr. Nguyen Phuoc Tan, residing in Loc An commune, said: Because the price of 034 avocado is getting lower and lower, growing it is not profitable, so my family had to cut down 1.5 hectares of avocado to switch to growing coffee.
In previous years, Mr. Duong Manh Do was the main consumer of 034 avocados for households at Phuoc Thinh Cooperative (Loc An commune), but this year the avocados are so cheap that households have to find their own consumers or let them fall all over the garden.
Mr. Nguyen Van Tung - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Bao Lam district, said: It can be said that Bao Lam is a pioneer in growing the 034 avocado variety with yellow flesh, soft, delicious, rich in nutrients and high yield. However, in recent times, people have developed too rapidly, causing the avocado area to increase, causing supply to exceed demand.
According to the survey, due to the continuous sharp decline in the price of 034 avocado in recent years; especially this year the price is too cheap, many households have cut down 034 avocado to switch to growing other crops. Preliminary statistics show that about 40% of the 034 avocado intercropping area has been cut down by people to grow coffee and durian.
Many households in Bao Lam district have abandoned their 034 avocado gardens because the price is too low and switched to growing coffee trees.
According to the leader of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Di Linh district, the situation of people cutting down avocado 034 to switch to other crops is also happening. However, up to now, the locality has not been able to specifically count the area of avocado 034 that people have cut down.
Statistics show that in Lam Dong province, there are currently only 4 large-scale avocado purchasing, processing and processing units for domestic consumption and export. In addition, there are 80 avocado purchasing facilities with a capacity of about 13,000 tons/year, supplying the majority of the domestic market, a small part is exported through unofficial channels. The remaining avocado output is consumed through small-scale traders, gardeners sell to traditional customers and on social networking platforms, with unstable income.
Source: https://danviet.vn/tung-la-loai-qua-gay-sot-vi-sieu-dinh-duong-nay-gia-dot-ngot-lao-doc-nhieu-vuon-o-lam-dong-don-bo-20240629231332953.htm
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