Japan's purple sweet potatoes yield VND 400,000/quintal

Specifically, farmers are selling Japan's purple sweet potatoes for prices ranging from VND 800,000 to VND 850,000/quintal (1 quintal = 60 kg), an increase of VND 100,000 to VND 150,000/quintal compared to the same period last year. After deducting expenses, growers are left with a profit of about VND 400,000/quintal. White-fleshed sweet potatoes, paper-white sweet potatoes, and pumpkin sweet potatoes are purchased by traders at prices ranging from VND 180,000 - VND 280,000/quintal.

Regarding the reasons for the price increase, many traders attribute it to the decrease in the cultivation area of various sweet potato varieties compared to previous years, especially the area of Japanese purple sweet potatoes. Additionally, as the harvest season has not yet arrived, prices for all types of sweet potatoes have increased.

Ms Vo Ngoc Tho, Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Binh Tan district, stated that as of May 2024, the district had planted sweet potatoes on 513 ha, a decrease of 286 ha compared to the same period last year. Due to fluctuating sweet potato prices in the past, farmers have switched to growing rice, and vegetables, or shifted to perennial fruit tree cultivation.

According to the Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Binh Tan district, the sweet potato market has recovered. However, the demand for sweet potatoes in consumer markets is increasingly demanding in terms of product quality and appearance.

To restore production, farmers are required to change their cultivation practices and adopt GAP, organic farming methods,... to produce safe and environmentally friendly products that meet the requirements of the current demanding market.

Currently, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Binh Tan district has collaborated with provincial authorities to issue 50 production unit codes. Among them, 45 codes are for export (including 42 sweet potato codes, 1 durian code, and 2 jackfruit codes), and 5 codes are for domestic consumption (including 2 durian codes, 1 sweet potato code, 1 jackfruit code, and 1 watermelon code).