Why are grapefruit growers still unhappy despite a good harvest?

(Baohatinh.vn) - The specialty grapefruit of Phuc Trach (Ha Tinh) is in its harvest season. This year, although the yield is quite high, the consumption market is slow, and the price has decreased by 20-30% compared to last year.

Mr. Phan Xuan Thanh's family (Dia Loi village, Huong Pho commune) has nearly 500 grapefruit trees, which yield an average harvest of about 20,000 fruits each year. Although it is the concentrated harvest season, his family is not very happy because the price has dropped sharply this year.

The drop in grapefruit prices has caused Mr. Phan Xuan Thanh's family income to decrease significantly compared to last year.

Mr. Thanh said: “This year the harvest is good, the grapefruit is beautiful but the price is about 20-30% lower than previous years. Currently, my family has sold to traders who come to buy wholesale at the garden. The price has decreased, the grapefruit is harder to sell, so it is good to have buyers, but the work of taking care of it all year round, the profit is not much.”

Not only Mr. Thanh, many farming households, cooperatives, and cooperative groups are also harvesting grapefruit in a not-so-excited mood. Although this year's crop yield is quite high, the fruit quality is uniform, and the appearance is beautiful, but currently some gardeners have difficulty finding traders to buy grapefruit and the selling price is not as expected. According to gardeners, the main reason is due to weak purchasing power, unstable output, and the situation of supply exceeding demand at the peak of the harvest season. In addition, this year when grapefruit entered the harvest season, it was affected by two storms, which negatively affected the consumption of this specialty fruit.

Ms. Le Thi Ha (village 2, Phuc Trach commune) said: “This year, the price of grapefruit is much lower than in previous years, and we have also been affected by storms and rains, so our income has decreased significantly. Currently, my family is only selling in moderation, waiting to see if the price will be better at the end of the season. Hopefully the weather will be stable in the near future, and there will be no more natural disasters so that we can recover some of the losses.”

Nhat Hang General Production and Trading Cooperative cooperates in production and purchases grapefruit from many households.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hang - Director of Nhat Hang General Production and Trading Cooperative (Huong Do Commune) shared: "We cooperate in production and purchase grapefruit from many households in the area to distribute to markets inside and outside the province, from traditional markets to store systems. This year, the productivity is quite high but the price has dropped sharply, grapefruit sales are slower than in previous years.

Currently, the Cooperative is connecting with supermarkets, promoting sales on e-commerce platforms and building warehouses, processing grapefruit products such as grapefruit peel jam, freeze-dried grapefruit pulp for making tea, grapefruit essential oil, and dishwashing liquid from grapefruit pulp.

Phuc Trach grapefruit is being sold on the market at many prices, ranging from 10,000 - 40,000 VND/fruit, lower than last year.

According to traditional markets and fruit shops, at this time, "mountain town specialties" are sold quite a lot. Depending on the segment, mass-grown grapefruit costs 10 - 25,000 VND/fruit; grapefruit grown according to VietGAP and organic standards has a higher price, from 30 - 40,000 VND/fruit. According to traders, this year's grapefruit harvest is good, weighing from 1 - 1.5 kg/fruit, the price is quite cheap compared to previous years, so it is more accessible to consumers.

Ms. Hoa Mo - a grapefruit seller in the Nursery Market area (Thanh Sen Ward) said: "We cut grapefruit directly in the garden in Phuc Trach Commune and classify it into different types, depending on size, the price ranges from 15,000 - 25,000 VND/fruit, a decrease of about 10,000 VND/fruit compared to last year. Currently, grapefruit is in season, beautiful in appearance, good price, so on average I sell about 500 - 600 fruits to the market every day, mainly to retail customers."

Ms. Nguyen Thi Duong (Thanh Sen ward) shared: “Phuc Trach grapefruit specialty has crispy segments and a sweet taste, so everyone in my family likes it. Previously, buying a grapefruit cost 30,000 - 40,000 VND, or even more to buy quality grapefruit, but this year, it only costs about 20,000 VND to buy a delicious grapefruit.”

On average, Ms. Hoa Mo sells about 500 - 600 Phuc Trach grapefruits to the market every day.

According to the report of the agricultural sector, by 2025, the whole province will have more than 4,300 hectares of grapefruit, with an estimated output of 40,000 tons; of which the grapefruit area under geographical indications is 2,700 hectares, with an estimated output of 25,000 tons. The growing area is concentrated in the communes of Phuc Trach, Huong Pho, Huong Do, Huong Binh, Huong Xuan... Currently, Phuc Trach grapefruit specialties are available at supermarket systems such as Winmart, BigC, Co.opmart; some e-commerce platforms and online channels such as Facebook, Zalo, Tiktok... However, the quantity consumed through these channels is still quite limited compared to the total output.

In order to support consumption, contribute to increasing people's income, and affirm the value of Phuc Trach grapefruit specialties, all levels and sectors have organized and implemented many promotional activities to bring grapefruit into large distribution systems. Recently, the National Agricultural Extension Center in coordination with the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Ha Tinh also organized a forum to promote trade in the consumption of Phuc Trach grapefruit produced according to organic standards, creating opportunities to sign contracts for the consumption of organic grapefruit products between enterprises, cooperatives and production households.

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/vi-sao-duoc-mua-buoi-nguoi-trong-van-kem-vui-post295589.html