Early season plums 300,000 VND per kg

Each kilogram of Son La plums, 18-25 fruits, is sold at many stores for 300,000 VND per kilogram, more expensive than imported Australian goods.

Records in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi show that since the beginning of March, many stores have started importing and selling the first-season plums. Accordingly, each kilogram of grade 1 fruit (18-25 fruits) costs 300,000 VND; 25-35 fruits is 250,000-270,000 VND.

Traders are offering grade 2 and 3 products at 80,000-130,000 VND per kilogram. This price is about 5% higher than the same period last year, and is 20,000-30,000 VND more expensive than products imported from Australia and Chile.

Ms. Quynh Nhu, a fruit shop owner in Hanoi, said that the plum season is just beginning, so the quantity is not much, the price is still high. Selected products, picked at the garden in Moc Chau, cost 250,000 VND per kg (not including shipping costs). Because the products are out of season, Ms. Nhu can only import a few dozen kg each time.

Ngoc An, a fruit shop owner in Hanoi, also said that her shop only imports 40-50kg of grade 1 products every day from a garden in Kim Chung, Phieng Khoai (Son La). "This year's first-season plums are in smaller quantity than previous years, so customers can't always order them," said Ms. An.

However, according to Ms. Nhu, the price is high but customers are still willing to pay despite the dominance of imported plums in the market. "The first time I sold this fruit in the off-season, I was worried that the high price would make customers not buy, but many days it still sold out," she said.

Grade 1 plums at a store in Hanoi. Photo: Ngoc An — Grade 1 plums at a store in Hanoi. Photo: *Ngoc An*

The advantage of plum is that it is fresh, crunchy, sweet and has a characteristic sour taste, so it is less boring to eat than imported products. On the other hand, this type only has one season each year, so it is awaited by many customers.

Ms. Nhu said that this year's plums are bigger and more uniform than in previous years. Notably, although it is early in the season, the fruit is sweet, not bitter or astringent.

Son La - the most famous locality for growing plums, with an area of over 11,730 hectares. According to Mr. Ha Nhu Hue - Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Son La, this year plum output may be low, reaching about 80,000 tons. This level is down 5,000 tons compared to last year.

Off-season plums are scarce. During this time, the yield of each garden is about several dozen kilograms to one hundred kilograms per day, plus increased care costs, so the price is high.

Mr. Nguyen Van Chung, a plum trader in Son La, said that off-season plums are grown more than in previous years, but the weather is not favorable, so they bear fruit less. In particular, with selected products, the supply cannot meet the demand, so the price is expensive. In mid-April, when the main season begins, plum prices will cool down.

Plum is a famous fruit of the Northwest mountainous region, grown in many provinces such as Ha Giang, Moc Chau, Sapa and most famously Son La. The main plum season lasts from April to July.

Hong Chau

Source link