Seedless lemons in Dong Thap Province are currently in harvest season. However, the prices of the fruit dropped drastically.
On July 16, Chairman Le Van Nam of the board of My Long Agricultural Services Cooperative in Dong Thap Province, said export-grade seedless lemon prices have dropped sharply.
Companies are currently buying mixed-grade lemons at orchards for only about VND11,500 per kilogram, down more than VND30,000 per kilogram from earlier levels.
Nam said the main reason is that Dong Thap has entered its peak harvest season, causing supply to surge, while the arrival of the rainy season has weakened demand. The cooperative is continuing to work with businesses to maintain market outlets and is encouraging farmers to produce under VietGAP standards to improve quality and stabilize the market.
The price of seeded lemons has also fallen to a very low level, with farm-gate prices at only about VND3,000-4,000 per kilogram.
According to Nguyen Van Cu, a lemon grower in My Long Commune, Dong Thap Province, harvesting costs are about VND1,300 per kilogram and transportation costs are nearly VND2,000 per kilogram, meaning current selling prices do not even cover production expenses. However, growers are still harvesting the fruit to prepare the trees for the next flowering cycle.
Dong Thap Province currently has about 6,000 hectares of lemon orchards, producing more than 131,000 metric tons annually.
In contrast, green onion growers in Tan Luoc Commune, Vinh Long Province, have welcomed a sharp rise in prices in recent days. Traders are purchasing green onions directly from fields in bulk at about VND2 million per 60 kilograms, up significantly from VND1.2 million to VND1.4 million per 60 kilograms about a month ago.
Farmer Le Van Thanh in Tan Luoc Commune said green onions are grown year-round and take about two months to mature, allowing for rapid crop rotation. However, prices remain highly dependent on market supply and demand, and at times have fallen so low that farmers earn little or no profit.
The farmer added that cultivating one hectare of green onions requires about 800 kilograms of seedlings. Under favorable weather conditions, yields can reach 1.5-2 metric tons per harvest. At current prices, farmers are still making a healthy profit after deducting the costs of seedlings, fertilizer, crop protection chemicals, and labor.
