Southern provinces seek customers for local fruits

Some southern provinces are facing difficulties finding customers for 406,000 tonnes of fruits according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Tonnes of fruits waiting to be sold

There are 35,000 tonnes of dragon fruits in Long An and Tien Giang, 35,000 tonnes of mangoes in Dong Thap, Tien Giang and An Giang, 50,000 tonnes of bananas from Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, Tien Giang and Ca Mau, 55,000 tonnes of oranges in Vinh Long, Hau Giang, Tra Vinh and Dong Thap, 40,000 tonnes of pomelo in Vinh Long, Tien Giang, Ben Tre, 18,500 tonnes of longan in Vinh Long, Dong Thap, Tien Giang and 25,300 tonnes of jackfruit in Tien Giang and Hau Giang.

Due to a lack of workers, harvesting has been slow. Traders have stopped coming to buy the fruits which have caused prices to drop sharply. Dragon fruits with white flesh are sold for VND2,000 to VND3,000 per kilo, while red dragon fruits are sold for VND3,000 to VND5,000 per kilo.

The prices for a kilo of longans also dropped to between VND8,000-VND15,000. A kilo of limes only costs between VND1,500 - VND2,000.

According to the Ministry of Health, from now until the end of 2021, up to 1.75 million tonnes of fruits and 1.5 million tonnes of vegetables will be harvested in the southern region but outlets for the produce are still unclear.

For the time being, the ministry has asked co-operatives to encourage local residents and firms to buy fruits.