Small traders plagued by Chinese orange rumor

Small traders plagued by Chinese orange rumor

Small traders selling oranges grown in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long in the central city of Da Nang have called on the authorities for help as their products have recently been boycotted because they are rumored to be from China.

The sellers who have been most severely impacted by the rumor are those at the Hoa Cuong wholesale market, which receives 100 to 120 tons of fruit on a daily basis.

Mekong Delta fruit shipments have now slumped 30 percent from the average 40 tons per day, traders said.

“The oranges available at the market are from Vinh Long’s Tam Binh district, but customers are turning their backs on the fruits after rumors that they are Chinese oranges were circulated,” said Nguyen Thi Thoi, head of the fruit division.

Chinese fruits have been gaining an increasingly bad reputation in Vietnam due to several cases of toxic fruits sold under the disguise of coming from other areas at dirt cheap prices were unearthed.

Consumers are convinced by the rumor as orange prices have slumped by a fifth recently, according to trader Le Thi Tuyet.

“Prices now range from VND4,000 a kg to VND15,000 a kg, while they used to be VND30,000 – VND35,000 a kg, so customers are concerned as to why prices have fallen so dramatically,” she elaborated.

The reason is that orange farmers in the Mekong Delta have enjoyed a booming harvest this year, the traders explained.

It’s common for fruits and agricultural products farmers in Vietnam to suffer low product prices despite the harvest windfall, as supply usually excesses demand.

Some small traders have presented receipts to prove the fruits are actually sourced from Vinh Long.

“Chinese fruits only account for 5 percent of the total amounttransported to Hoa Cuong market,” said Nguyen Cong An, deputy head of the market’s management board.

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