Cao Thi Xin could not believe her ears when told by traders that her lettuce could only be bought for VND300 per kg, a tenfold drop compared to prices before Tet in late January.
Since she could not manage to break even with such a low price, Xin opted to use the lettuce to feed her ducks and chickens.
Many desperate farmers like Xin in central Quang Ngai Province have no choice but to feed their poultry and livestock the green produce they fail to sell as prices tumbled to dirt cheap rates after Tet.
At a nearby farm, Tran Thi Kien, in tears, said that she had to dump her entire 1,000 hectare crop of crown daisy as prices slumped to a mere VND500 a kg from the pre-Tet rate of up to VND20,000.
Similarly, farmers in Tinh An commune had to feed their cows on green beans, which now fetch only VND1,000 a kg.
Cao Ba, a farmer in Nghia Dung Commune, said vegetable prices have plunged to unprecedented lows this year. “Many farmers are now left with huge debts,” he added.
Ba had to feed his livestock with the unsold crown daisy and incurred a VND7 million (US$330) loss.
Insiders attributed the slumping prices to an excessive supply of green produce, as farmers rushed to grow the products en masse without being aware that demand was not as high as expected.
Meanwhile, farmers in Quang Ngai failed to sell their produce to other localities, thus hundreds of tons of vegetables remain unsold.
Farmers feed livestock unsold green produce Related image(s)
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