Purple onions from Thailand and China are flooding into Vietnam at just VND3,000 per kilo, much lower than Vinh Chau onions.
At present, around 51,000 tonnes of purple onion in Vinh Chau remain in stock. It is common to see onion piles left in fields.
Farmers in the southern province of Soc Trang are facing difficulties in selling purple onions
Nguyen Thi Tam, a local resident, said that her family harvested nearly eight tonnes of onions before February, but were unable to sell them. So, she has left them in the field despite the tens of millions of VND invested in cultivation.
Tran Giau is in the same situation as Tam, saying that nearly seven tonnes of onion piled up at his house. Never before had he seen such cheap onion prices like this year. Some years ago, onion prices were around VND8,000 per kilo, but it was not difficult to sell.
Ma Chi Tho, head of Vinh Chau Town’s Economic Board, said that the area cultivates 5,312 hectares of purple onions. To date, roughly half of the total production has been sold, while 51,000 tonnes have remained unsold.
The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has affected the onion export, meanwhile, the flooding of cheap onion products from China and Thailand in Vietnam have also slowed Vinh Chau onion sales.
Vinh Chau Town’s authorities have asked the provincial Department of Industry and Trade and other concerned agencies to take urgent solutions to improve the situation. Meanwhile, local agencies and organisations have also called on their staff to buy onions.
To improve the situation, Soc Trang People’s Committee Chairman Tran Van Lau signed a document to call on local districts, agencies and organisations to buy onions from farmers. Around 30 tonnes of onions in Vinh Chau Town have been sold in the last two days as a result of the call to action.
