Off-season fruit harvests have been poor in most provinces in theMekong delta, but prices have risen as export demand soars and sales forTet (Lunar New Year) holiday increase.
Cao Van Hoa, deputydirector of Tien Giang province's Department of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment, said the off-season durian crop had been affected byinclement weather and, as a result, prices had soared.
With thecurrent durian price, farmers are earning 500 million VND (23.81 millionUSD) per ha, twice the amount for the same period last year, Hoa said.
WithTien Giang's 6,000ha of durian, most farmers produce off-season durianto earn higher prices by using special farming techniques.
However,this year, when the durian flower blossomed, there were heavy rains,which prevented the plant from bearing fruit, according to agricultureofficials.
In Dong Thap province, which has 7,000ha of mango,prolonged rains and hot weather have also caused a poor crop ofoff-season mangos.
Meanwhile, farmers in An Giang province's Tinh Bien and Tri Ton districts are harvesting a good crop of off-season mangos.
Traders have purchased the two districts' mangos to export to Cambodia and China.
Thetwo districts grow a total of 2,000ha of mangos and most of them belongto three mango varieties, Thanh Ca, Hoa Loc and the grafted variety.
Thisis the first year that the two districts' mangos were exported in largenumbers, reaching hundreds of tonnes over the past few months,according to the An Giang Department of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment.
Traders are purchasing Hoa Loc mangos at orchardsfor 20,000-30,000 VND (1USD-1.5 USD) a kg, up 5,000-7,000 VND againstthe same period last year.
Tran Van Mi, head of the Tri TonDistrict Agriculture and Rural Development Bureau, said this seasontraders bought all mangos in the district for export and domesticconsumption, especially the Thanh Ca mango, a speciality of theprovince.
The price of many fruits used extensively during Tethave risen in the Delta as traders have begun to buy more fruit for thecountry's biggest holiday season, which begins on February 3. Tradersare buying Nam Roi grapefruit at orchards in Vinh Long and Hau Giangprovinces at a price of 100,000 VND (5.1 USD) for 10, up 30,000 VNDcompared to last month.
Nguyen Van Khanh, who grows Nam Roigrapefruit in Phu Huu A Hamlet in Hau Giang province's Chau ThanhDistrict, said: "Inclement weather has made grapefruit yields lowcompared to previous years. Traders are now buying grapefruit to stockfor Tet."
About 50 percent of Nam Roi grapefruit in orchards inPhu Huu A Hamlet have been bought in advance by traders, according togrowers.
Tran Van Sang, chairman of the My Hoa Nam Roi GrapefruitCooperative in Vinh Long province, said: "The price of Nam RoiGrapefruit is at 8,000 VND (0.4 USD) a kg, the highest over the pastyear.
Farmers are very glad because the price of grapefruit for Tet has risen a lot."
Theco-operative is estimated to supply about 100 tonnes of grapefruits forsupermarkets and trade centres in HCM City, and southeastern andnorthern provinces this Tet. It will also supply 100 tonnes ofgrapefruit for wholesale markets this Tet. The price of Lai Vungmandarin, a speciality of Dong Thap Province, has increased by6,000-7,000 VND (0.3 USD - 0.4 USD) a kg compared to the same period oflast year. The price of King oranges at orchards in Hau Giang rovince is17,000 VND (0.8 USD) a kg. Farmers said with this price, they couldearn a 50 percent profit./.