The price of anise skyrockets

In the first days of the new year, while the spring atmosphere still permeates every corner of the village, anise growers in Van Quan district (Lang Son) have eagerly started harvesting off-season anise (four-season anise) forests to take advantage of the very high selling price.

There are two anise crops in one year: the main one is from June to October and the off-season one is from January to April. This year, the anise growers here are really excited because there has never been such a good off-season crop!

Mr. Linh Van Chien, Na Hay village, Binh Phuc commune (Van Quan, Lang Son) who has 3 hectares of anise is excited: Since last December up to now, the price of anise has always been high and increasing steadily. Fresh anise is currently priced at more than VND 75,000/kg, twice as high as the same period last year. Dried anise is priced at VND 300,000-320,000/kg (compared to only 200,000-220,000/kg the same period last year).

According to Mr. Chien, anise has been grown by many generations of people here. It does not need much care, except a little time on clearing the plantation and planting only once, while the harvest time is up to decades. Besides, all fruits from young, old and fallen can be sold.

Mr. Tran Van Truong, Tay A village, Yen Phuc commune (Van Quan) said happily: Anise is the most suitable crop for the climate and soil here, so there is no other tree with higher economic efficiency. Anise flowers are more and more popular because they have extremely wonderful uses that are owned by few herbs.

In addition to being used in wine production, confectionery, food processing..., anise flowers are also good for beauty and health. In traditional medicine, they are used in treating rheumatism, digestion, stomach pain, food poisoning, snakebite... So in addition to 300 existing plants, he is buying 200 more seedlings to replace the ones that are no longer productive and increase the number of new trees.

Currently, anise is grown in most communes in Van Quan district such as Binh Phuc, Yen Phuc, Lien Hoi, An Son... In the off-season crop year 2020-2021, the supply has somewhat dropped due to unfavourable weather conditions. 

According to anise growers, leaf spot disease and stem borer are spreading rapidly, making the trees dry, lose leaves, and shed fruits, so the rate of flowers is very limitted. Meanwhile, the demand is increasing day by day because consumers have now started to be aware of the benefits that anise brings.

Perennial anises have unstable yield, some years with good crop, and others with no crop at all. According to experienced anise growers, for every good harvest, there are two or three years of lost.

Mr. Viet, an anise trader at Bai market (Van Quan district), said: The price of anise this year is high due to the increased demand from overseas markets, especially China.

The amount of domestic consumption is negligible, it is exported anises that bring the highest profits. Therefore, although it is not the main season, anises are bought immediately after being harvested at very hight prices, which has never been seen in previous crops.