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| Thousands of tonnes of watermelons are waiting for traders in Bình Thuận Province. — Photo vov.vn |
Viet Nam News
BÌNH THUẬN — Farmers in the south-central coastal province of Bình Thuận are facing a crisis with watermelon. The recent fall in prices has led to oversupply but low demand.
The Voice of Việt Nam (VOV) reports that thousands of tonnes of watermelons harvested in Đức Linh District, which grows the largest number of watermelons for Tết (Lunar New Year), have been piled up along the highway.
The farmers sit next to the huge piles waiting for traders, but they are only able to sell just a few or tens of kilogrammes to passersby, reports VOV.
Phan Long Hạnh, a watermelon farmer, said he had grown 30 tonnes of watermelon, but no one bought them. He has suffered huge losses this year due to the decrease in prices - only VNĐ3,500 (US$0.15) for a kilo.
A trader, Nguyễn Văn An, said the watermelon could not be exported to other countries. He explained that a low demand in the north due to cold weather had resulted in the falling prices this year.
Head of Đức Linh District’s Agriculture and Rural Development Office, Trương Quang Đến, said local farmers this year had grown watermelons in 180ha of land for the Tết season, increasing cultivation by 20ha compared to last year.
With a production of 30 tonnes for every hectare, farmers were unhappy with the slowdown in price, Đến said. — VNS
