Mekong Delta fruit prices surge as travel restrictions ease
Mekong Delta fruit prices surge as travel restrictions ease
Jackfruit, longan, and lemon cultivated in the Mekong Delta are fetching two to four times the prices that prevailed when Covid-19 related transport restrictions were in force before Oct. 1.
Longan orchards in Chau Thanh District, Dong Thap Province are ready for harvest. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Tai |
Lemons bought directly at gardens are priced VND7,000-8,000 ($0.31-0.35) per kilogram these days, while they were selling for just VND2,000 per kilogram earlier.
Prices of Thai jackfruit have also surged to VND19,000-30,000 per kilogram. These prices are four times more than the previous four months when travel was restricted.
Similarly, longan prices have doubled to VND12,000-14,000 per kilogram.
"Farmers hope to a lot of longan and make a profit when Chau Thanh District (Dong Thap Province) harvests the fruit in about a month," said Nguyen Van Thuan, a farmer from the district.
In July, fruit from the Mekong Delta, Vietnam's agriculture hub, was sold poorly at lower prices as wholesales markets across HCMC close due to Covid-19.
Mekong Delta contributes 90 percent of the country’s rice exports, 65 percent of seafood exports, and 70 percent of fruit exports.
