After a prolonged period of high prices, southern limes have unexpectedly dropped to just VND 2,500 per kilogram as the crop enters its peak harvest season. Despite the sluggish free market, many farmers remain confident in lime cultivation. They are adopting suitable production strategies to secure stable market outlets.
The simultaneous surge in supply as the crop entered its peak season delivered a major shock to the domestic market. Traditional lime varieties and seedless limes are heavily dependent on independent traders. A survey of the free market showed that traders were only purchasing traditional limes at a low price of VND 2,500–3,000 per kilogram. This marked a drop of more than VND 10,000 per kilogram in just one month.
Meanwhile, rising costs of fertilizers, agricultural inputs, harvesting labor, and transportation have placed significant pressure on farmers. For every kilogram of limes sold through free-market channels, growers are suffering losses of around VND 3,000. In Lương Hòa Commune, Tây Ninh Province, farmer Lư Khánh Cường, who owns a three-hectare lime farm, expressed his disappointment over the difficult market situation: “Limes are now entering the peak harvest season, so every orchard has a large number of fruits. The supply may have become excessive, causing an oversupply situation. Although prices remained high for about five months this year, longer than in previous years, the sharp decline now has left farmers deeply disappointed.”
A similar gloomy situation is occurring in Đồng Tháp, a major fruit-growing hub, where losses are becoming increasingly evident through each harvesting expense. Phạm Văn Rô, a lime grower in Hội Cư Commune, Đồng Tháp Province, said: “The crop is now in its main season, so every orchard has abundant fruit. The supply may be too large, leading to market congestion. Although prices stayed high for around five months this year, longer than usual, farmers are now disappointed as prices have fallen sharply. Harvesting costs about VND 1,300 per kilogram, while transportation adds nearly VND 2,000 per kilogram. This means farmers lose money when selling. However, harvesting is still necessary to reduce the burden on the trees, encourage new flowering cycles, and maintain production.”
The firsthand accounts from farmers in Tây Ninh and Đồng Tháp clearly reflect the challenges growers face when they depend heavily on traders and are vulnerable to price pressure. Not only limes, but many other specialty fruits from Đồng Tháp are also experiencing low prices. Although it is already the end of the season, Thai durians are currently purchased at orchards for only around VND 40,000–42,000 per kilogram. Meanwhile, Ri6 durians range from VND 20,000–25,000 per kilogram, much lower than the same period last year. Red-fleshed dragon fruits are also priced at only about VND 10,000 per kilogram, significantly affecting orchard owners’ incomes.
While farmers relying on independent traders are suffering heavy losses, the seedless lime segment for export markets continues to maintain remarkable stability. Hồ Vũ Thanh, a supervisor at Fruit Republic in Cần Thơ, said that the current purchasing price for seedless limes in the free market outside official agents remains around VND 6,500 per kilogram. This allows farmers to break even or earn a small profit. In particular, growers participating in direct contract farming models with businesses enjoy much more stable economic returns.
“Currently, our company is purchasing export-standard seedless limes at VND 12,000 per kilogram. When additional support payments, such as certification fees, GAP compliance costs, and export qualification rates, are included, the actual price received by farmers can reach VND 13,000–14,000 per kilogram,” Thanh said.
The significant difference in value explains why the movement to switch to lime cultivation in Tây Ninh remains strong. This trend continues despite free-market prices hitting record lows. A typical example is Trần Văn Điểm in Thạnh Lợi Commune, who boldly converted his entire five-hectare pineapple-growing area to seedless lime cultivation. He did so under an off-take contract model with Fruit Republic Cần Thơ. Điểm shared: “In recent years, pineapple prices have been low and unstable, so I decided to invest and shift to linked lime production. This allows me to sell directly to the purchasing company and stabilize my family’s income.”
The contrast between farmers’ experiences and the company representative’s perspective shows that the challenge does not lie in the fruit itself. Instead, it lies in the way market connections are organized. Thanks to diversified export markets in Europe, the Middle East (Dubai), and New Zealand, seedless limes have shown strong resilience against domestic supply-demand shocks. Recognizing this inevitable trend, Tây Ninh has included lime among seven key fruit groups prioritized for development through 2030. The province aims to maintain a stable cultivation area of 12,000 hectares with an output of 210,000 tons. Production will focus on key areas such as Thạnh Lợi, Bình Đức, Lương Hòa, Đức Huệ, Mỹ Thạnh, Thủ Thừa, and Bình Thành.
Tây Ninh’s cultivation planning strategy also provides a solution for other major agricultural regions in the South, including Đồng Tháp. To ensure that the smiles of farmers like Điểm during harvests become more widespread, while reducing the losses faced by growers such as Rô and Cường, the only sustainable path is to organize production according to GAP standards. It is also necessary to establish transparent traceability systems and sign purchasing contracts with export enterprises. These measures are essential to protect product reputation and strengthen the position of Vietnamese agricultural brands in global markets.
Vietnamese source: https://thuonghieusanpham.vn/gia-chanh-cham-day-2500-dong-vi-sao-nong-dan-van-trong
Vietnamese source: https://thuonghieusanpham.vn/dinh-vi-thuong-hieu-quoc-gia-cho-ca-phe-viet
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