VietNamNet Bridge - Binh Thuan provincial authorities have fined 23 Chinese businessmen for illegal collection of dragonfruits in the locality. Ca Mau provincial authorities have stopped the  illegal crab collection by Chinese traders, while Gia Lai residents have prevented Chinese from growing watermelon on Vietnamese land.

 

Binh Thuan farmers said dragonfruit prices had dropped dramatically, causing a loss of hundreds of millions of dong. 

First-class dragon fruit in Binh Thuan province is collected in dribs and drabs at VND3,500-4,000 per kilo, while lower-quality products sell for VND500 per kilo only. 

The fruit was priced at no less than VND15,000 per kilo last year.

While dragonfruit is dirt-cheap in Binh Thuan, it is very expensive at the Vietnam-China border area. One kilo of dragon fruit there is sold for VND25,000, or 5-6 times higher than in Binh Thuan.

This is attributed to the presence of Chinese merchants who have been cornering the market.

An analyst noted that Chinese merchants have set up a large collection network with the support of Vietnamese merchants. Thanks to the network, they control the market and prices.

Chair of Binh Thuan province, Le Tien Phuong, confirmed that the troubled dragonfruit market was caused by foreign merchants who live and trade illegally in the locality.

“They (Chinese merchants) come to Vietnam and try to control the input material sources. Those who cooperate with them show behavior that is detrimental to the national interest and dragonfruit farmers’ benefits,” Phuong said.

The province’s chair has called on growers and producers not to cooperate with Chinese illegal traders and report illegal trade activities to local authorities.

The local authorities have imposed fines worth a total of VND500 million on 23 Chinese who have illegally resided and traded dragonfruit without licenses this year.

Pham Thanh Tuoi, chair of the Ca Mau provincial authorities, has signed the decision on fining Yang Renan, a Chinese national, for collecting crab without a license. 

The Chinese man was caught red-handed when he was collecting crab from a Vietnamese sales agent. 

The crab trade between Yang Renan and Pham Thanh Loan, the Vietnamese sales agent, has been carried out since 2012. Yang Renan directly selected crabs, weighed and made payment. The trade was based on verbal agreements, and there was no written trade contract.

Meanwhile, in Gia Lai province, local authorities and residents have prevented Chinese from leasing land to grow watermelon of a special variety in the districts of Chu Prong, Long Chro, Ia Pa, and Phu Thien, and Ayun Pa and An Khe Towns.

According to Colonel Pham Van Chan from Gia Lai Police, the total land area the Chinese merchants planned to lease was about 300 hectares.

Dat Viet