MARD helps connect farmers and consumers during social distancing

Tan Long Agriculture Co-operative in Vinh Tuong Commune, Vi Thuy District, Hau Giang Province has supplied dozens of thousands of eggs to HCM City these days when the city is implementing strict social distancing measures to curb COVID-19 infections.

The co-operative is among hundreds of farming product suppliers that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development introduced on mass media. The ministry also established a working group to support farmers and agricultural establishments in production and consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vice director of the Tan Long Co-operative Nguyen Van Thich said that the co-operative was specialised in rice production. It produced organic rice that gained VietGAP certificate and was a four-star One Commune-One Product (OCOP) product of the southern province of Hậu Giang.

Thich’s co-operative also co-operated with local balut suppliers.

Thich said that after laking with the ministry’s working group and learning about the increased demand for eggs in urban areas, his co-operative registered to supply eggs.

Thich’co-operative since then buy all eggs from four duck farms in the commune. The farms each gets about 1,600-2,000 eggs daily agreed to sell Thich’co-operative eggs instead of making baluts.

“During the pandemic, it is necessary to solve two urgent issues at the same time. The first issue is to help farmers in consumption. The other issue is to meet the demand for eggs of millions of people in HCM City when the city is implementing strict social distancing measures,” Thích said.

When other southern provinces also started social distancing measures following Prime Minister’s Directive 16, the transportation and consumption of farming products faced difficulties. At that time, the duck egg price dropped to less than VND 2,000 per egg. The co-operative had to call on local people to buy eggs, Thich said.

“As soon as the national green route is open, farming products from southwestern provinces could go to HCM City more easily,” he said.

Now, the co-operative purchases duck eggs at farms with the price of VND 2,500 per egg and sell to wholesalers in HCM City at price VND2,800 per egg.

“We deliver about 20,000 eggs every three days to the city,” Thich said.

The Tan Long Co-operative also reduced rice prices as a way to support consumers who are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pham Cao Son,  a farmer in My Dong Commune, Thap Muoi District, Dong Thap Province said that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he could not raise ducks on the field.

With 12,000 ducks, Sơn got on average 900 – 1,000 eggs daily, he said, adding that early this year, egg price was only VND 1,200 -1,500 per egg, farmers like him hardly got profit.

Due to difficulties in transportation and increased demand, the egg prices went up, sometimes up to VND 3,000-3,200 per egg.

In the last few days, egg prices were stabilised at VND 2,700 -2,800 per egg thanks to smoother transportation.

Huynh Tan Dat, vice director of Dong Thap Province’s Agriculture and Rural Development Department said that the province now has more than 100,000 ducks including 95,500 ducks raised for eggs.

Thanks to improved linkage in production and consumption, now egg prices were higher than in previous years.

Meanwhile, in Tien Giang Province, farms that produced quail eggs for exports had to shut due to suspended exports.

Huynh Tan Luc, director of Tan Luc Quail Co-operative said since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the province and the animal feed prices increased sharply, many members of the co-operative stopped raising quail.

Before social distancing, the eco-operative purchased about 300,000-400,000 eggs daily from its member farms. However, the consumption was only 20-30 per cent of the previous one, Luc said.

Tran Nguyen Ho, a quail farm owner in Long An Commune, Chau Thanh District, Tien Giang Province said that besides raising quail, he used to buy 300,000 quail eggs daily from other local farmers to export to Japan.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted his business, he said, adding that he was struggling to find output for quail eggs now.