No expansion in cultivated areas despite record-high prices

Many agricultural products reach record-high prices.

According to a report from the agriculture sector of Gia Lai province, several agricultural products are being sold at high prices, such as coffee at VND 115,000/kg, pepper over VND 143,000/kg, rubber latex at VND 45 million/ton, passion fruit ranging from VND 20,000 to VND 50,000/kg, durian at VND 60,000 – 80,000/kg, and South American Cavendish bananas at VND 3,800/kg. The record-high agricultural prices provide favourable conditions to enhance income for farmers, cooperatives, and businesses.

In 2024, Gia Lai province achieved a total export value of agricultural products exceeding $ 800 million, with key products including coffee contributing over $ 620 million and fruit crops (passion fruit, durian, bananas,...) generating more than $ 150 million.

Sharing his joy after the coffee harvest, Mr Nguyen Van Thien (Ia Ka commune, Chu Pah district) said that his family owns about 1,400 coffee trees. This year, adverse weather conditions caused yields to fall short of expectations, producing only about 10 tons of fresh coffee. However, during the harvest season, traders purchased coffee at VND 31,000/kg fresh, earning the family over VND 300 million. This is a record-high price, even tripling compared to two years ago, leaving the family very pleased.

Similarly, Mr Hoang Van Thanh's family (Ha Bau commune, Dak Doa district) is also delighted as coffee prices surged during their harvest season. The family owns over 1 ha of coffee and harvested nearly 4 tons of beans. Traders purchased the coffee at VND 130,000/kg.

Not expanding the area and focusing on sustainable cultivation.

According to Mr. Nguyen Tan Cong, Director of Nam Yang Agricultural and Service Cooperative, for Gia Lai's agricultural products to develop stably, people should focus on sustainable cultivation, and grow multiple crops to avoid risks.

"Do not increase the area excessively or overexploit it, as this will lead to unstable plant growth and soil degradation. This will result in unsustainable development of agricultural sectors and will not be beneficial in the long run for the people", Mr Cong shared.

With prices increasing sharply, people are rushing to plant coffee, leading to a surge in the price of seedlings. This not only brings disadvantages to the people but also disrupts the structure of the entire agricultural sector.

“To sustainably develop agricultural products, the involvement of local authorities is necessary to educate and advise the people, cautioning them not to chase short-term market signals to expand the land area. The example of passion fruit is a typical lesson, where excessive expansion led to a collapse when the buying price was too low, and the people suffered bitterly”, Mr. Thanh shared.