Unwilling to harvest longan due to price reduction and hike labour cost

The longan crop in Thai Binh commune, Tuyen Quang province, is successful, with an anticipated total output of 1,000 tons, up 15% year on year. However, as a result of Covid-19's negative effect, trade circulation to other provinces has been restricted, resulting in hard consumption and price declines.

According to Nguyen Manh Dung, Chairman of the Thai Binh commune People's Committee, almost 1,000 families are engaged in longan planting on a total area of 113 hectares, with 78.5 ha dedicated to harvest and the remaining 32 ha given to transplantation and the development of new longan varieties.

Currently, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on longan consumption. Longan grade A has been lowered in price from VND40,000 to VND12,000 per kilogram, but it remains difficult to sell. Longan was priced at VND20,000 per kilogram at this time last year.

Over the last 10 days, the Covid-19 pandemic has harmed longan consumption in marketplaces outside the province, including Hanoi, Vinh Phuc, and Thai Nguyen. On July 26, Tuyen Quang province reported one case of SARS-CoV-2 infection, necessitating tighter control in the area. All individuals entering the province are required to get a test certificate within three days using the RT-PCR technique while the movement of commodities and agricultural products is limited. 

Nguyen Thi Cam has three hectares of longan and harvests an average of more than ten tons of fruit each year. Traders visited the garden at the start of this year's harvest to purchase early ripe longan for VND40,000 per kilogram. At the time, her garden exported an average of two quintals of longan each day to the market, but it lasted just three days before no merchants arrived to purchase.

Cam said that when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out less than a week ago, commerce was restricted, and merchants seldom came to purchase. Cam is attempting to retain the remaining longan and is adamant about not selling it, thinking that when the pandemic is over and commerce and travel become easier, the price of longan will increase. However, the longer the longan is left, the more it will break due to overripeness, and for certain varieties of longan, the longer it is stored, the paler and less valuable it becomes

To alleviate the problems associated with longan consumption in Thai Binh commune, the administration and the people have suggested promoting home consumption. Encourage individuals to contact with merchants at Tuyen Quang's wholesale markets, center regions, and industrial zones to purchase ripe longan batches.

The Thai Binh Commune People's Committee has also partnered with the Tuyen Quang Business Association to facilitate the integration of longan products into each unit's factories and manufacturing facilities in order to facilitate consumer demand.

Longan is still a significant source of income for many families in Thai Binh commune. Prior to the Covid-19 epidemic, which made longan more difficult to eat and reduced its price, it had a significant effect on the economic lives of the people here.