Watermelon farmers make loss despite good harvest

Despite a good watermelon harvest, farmers from several provinces nationwide have made huge losses which has been blamed on irresponsible cultivation decisions.

According to a report issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the price of watermelon in prime growing areas, including central Quang Tri, Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh provinces, has dropped to VND500 to VND800 per kilo in many areas. Last year the price of watermelon ranged from VND4,400 to VND5,000 (US$0.2) per kilo.

“An excessively low price has left us empty handed,” said Tran Thi Tam, a farmer in Quang Ngai Province and owner of a 7,200sq.m watermelon plantation.

Farmers could only make a profit if the price was at least VND1,500 to VND2,000 per kilo, she said.

Ho Sy Hoang, owner of a 21,000sq.m watermelon plantation in Dien Ban District, central Quang Nam Province, said he was forced to sell his crop despite the low price.

“One rain could cause the whole plantation to rot. My crops were good but the harvest was a huge loss this year. It is such a bitter disappointment,” he said.

According to the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Quang Nam Province, farmers lost VND25 million ($1,300) per hectare of watermelon crop this year on average, which equals a loss of VND37 billion ($1.9 million) on 1,500 ha in total.

Tran Van Nghia, vice head of the Customs Office Unit at the Tan Thanh Border Gate in northern Lang Son Province, said many lorries transporting watermelons had to wait at the gate for several days before they were able to cross.

Many returned with half of their watermelons unsold, he said.

The fact that the price is going down even with a good harvest should be blamed on the spontaneity of farmers in their choices about which crops to cultivate, said Director of MARD’s Cultivation Department Nguyen Tri Ngoc.

“Farmers own their land, so they can decide which crops to grow. They ignored warnings from the authorities,” he said.

It is necessary to make careful calculations about timing and market demand in order to sell agricultural products. Irresponsible cultivation leads to an excessive amount of products in the market without sufficient consumer demand.

Ngoc said the connection between the Government, farmers, scientists and distributors was important. The Government needs to develop policies to help farmers sell their products.

He said the Government would soon organise a workshop for Vietnamese ministers and Chinese officials to sign agricultural import and export agreements.

VietNamNet/VNS

Tags: Vietnam agriculture, Vietnam Watermelon