In Hon Dat Commune, in An Giang Province, traders are paying VND40,000-60,000 (US$1.5-2.2) per kilogram at the farm gate for the fruit, up VND15,000-20,000 from earlier this year.
Farmers are making profits of VND10,000-20,000 ($0.4-0.8) per kilogram.
But outputs are falling. Nguyen Thanh Do, director of the Hon Dat Hoa Loc Mango Cooperative, said off-season mango harvests have been 20% lower as heavy rains reduced the fruiting rate and hit quality.
“Many households have no mangoes left to sell as they are inducing flowering to prepare for the Lunar New Year crop. So supply is short and prices are rising.”
A farmer said maintenance costs of mango trees climbed to VND35,000-40,000 ($1,3-1,7) per kilogram between August and October.
Besides the lower yields, the area under the mango has also reduced with farmers switching to jackfruit and durian.
 |
|
Hoa Loc mangoes on sale at a store on Le Duc Tho Street in HCMC’s An Hoi Dong Ward. Photo by VnExpress/Thi Ha |
In HCMC, Hoa Loc mangoes retail for VND80,000-140,000 ($3-5,3) per kilogram, their highest level this year according to traders.
Hanh, a fruit shop owner in An Hoi Dong Ward, said first-grade mangoes cost VND100,000-110,000 ($3,9-4,1) per kilogram at wholesale markets and she sells them at VND120,000.
Hoang Anh, who runs a shop in Ba Chieu Market, said mangoes are now the most expensive local fruit.
She also sells lower grades of mangoes to give customers more options.
Organic mangoes must be pre-ordered at VND180,000-200,000 ($6,8-7,6) per kilogram.
Supply is low at the Thu Duc wholesale market while demand spiked earlier this month as people bought fruits as ancestral offerings for the Ghost Festival on Sept. 6.
At premium retail chains, Chu Chin-branded Hoa Loc mangoes cost VND189,000 ($7) per kilogram.
Nguyen Dinh Tung, CEO of Vina T&T Group, said Vietnamese mango exports to the U.S. are steady, but the low availability of high-quality fruits currently has driven prices up.
“Hoa Loc mangoes are difficult to preserve and mostly shipped by air to maintain quality. This means the cost is much higher.”
He expected supply and exports to rise after a month when the main mango season begins.
Vietnam earned USD265.9 million from exports of the fruit in the first seven months, with fresh mangoes bringing in USD189.7 million, up 12.2% year-on-year, according to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association.
The country has over 114,000 ha under the fruit, mostly in the Mekong Delta. An Giang accounts for more than 12,000 ha, half of that in Cho Moi District.
