VietNamNet Bridge – Many pineapple farmers in Tien Giang Province’s Tan Phuoc District, the largest pineapple planting area in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta, are taking losses because of fluctuating prices caused by an oversupply.

A farmer in Tien Giang Province harvests pineapples. — VNA/VNS Photo Nam Thai

Nguyen Xuan Hai, deputy head of the district’s Agriculture and Rural Development, said that pineapples were selling for VND2,000–3,000 a kilo. Since mid-year, the price has ranged from VND1,500–5,500 a kilo.

With the decline in price, farmers are now suffering a loss of VND10-15 million (US$440-$660) per ha per crop.

The fruit has helped many farmers escape poverty in recent years.

Tan Phuoc’s Queen pineapples, one of the main varieties in Tien Giang, are well-known for high quality.

The district has about 16,500ha of pineapples with an average yield of 20 tonnes per ha per crop. A pineapple crop lasts between 12-15 months.

Previously, the district’s pineapples were sold mostly to processing companies, but the quantity bought by companies is now small as the companies are buying from other places.

The pineapples are being sold mostly to traders, so the price has fluctuated.

Pham Van Men, a pineapple trader in Tien Giang, said he was buying nearly 100 tonnes of pineapples for VND2,200–2,500 a kilo a day.

He only sells pineapples to wholesale markets in nearby provinces, so the quantity is small, he said.

Doan Thi Diem, who rents fields to plant pineapple in Tan Phuoc’s Thanh My Commune, said she had borrowed more than VND100 million ($4,400) to grow pineapples.  

“I may have to cut down my pineapple plants and replant later,” she said, adding that she hopes the price will rise again.

As of the beginning of this month, Tan Phuoc had harvested 5,000ha with a total output of 100,000 tonnes of pineapples, according to the district’s Agriculture and Rural Development Bureau.

While local farmers are struggling to sell their pineapples, the demand for imported pineapples in the country is high despite their high price.

Bui Cong Thanh, chairman of the Quyet Thang Agricultural Co-operative in Tan Phuoc’s Tan Lap 2 Commune, said consumers like the imports because they are beautiful, have an even size and have been preserved well after harvest.

Tan Phuoc pineapples can only be kept for a few days after harvesting.

Vo Mai, deputy chairwoman of the Viet Nam Gardening Association, said domestic agricultural products in general have lower prices because farmers “chase after price” instead of carefully planning how much to grow.

Government agencies should strictly monitor and survey market demand to set up plans for farmers to grow agricultural products suitable to market demand, she told Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Sai Gon) newspaper.

Companies should develop post-harvest technologies and invest in processing agricultural products to develop outlets for farmers, she said. 

Source: VNS