Vietnam: Thousands of orange-growing households in Tra Vinh are struggling because of plummeting prices

Currently, the price of beautiful oranges (grade 1) in the garden is only 2,000 VND/kg, many orange gardens have reached harvest time but there are no buyers, or they are only buying in moderation at very low prices. Mr. Pham Van Dang in Thong Hoa commune, Cau Ke district said: "In recent months, the price of oranges has dropped to only a few thousand VND/kg, and the gardeners have not made a profit because the price of oranges is too low compared to the amount they invested. The price of materials is high, and the selling price of oranges is sometimes 4,000-5,000 VND/kg, then 3,000-4,000 VND/kg. Currently, grade 1 oranges are only 2,000 VND/kg but traders are not willing to buy anymore". Mr. Ho Van Hai in Thanh Phu commune, Cau Ke district, who grows 4 hectares of ripe oranges, said that the average investment cost for growing oranges in the first year is about 600 million VND/ha and in the following years it is about 300 million VND/ha/year. With this investment, the price of ...