The high price of pepper this year has created a “chain effect” that makes a part of people rush to cut down coffee trees to grow pepper. Accordingly, dozens of farmers in Bau Can commune (Chu Prong district, Gia Lai) are expanding the cutting down of coffee areas to plant new pepper trees on a large scale.
Coffee lost its throne
With only less than 5 km of road in Ia Mua village, Bau Can commune (Chu Prong district), many coffee gardens have been cut down and replaced by vacant lots being cleaned by people to prepare. planted with pepper plants.
At the coffee garden that has been demolished nearly half of the area, Mr. Tran Dinh Than (Ia Mua village) – a farmer who has been attached to coffee trees for nearly 40 years, said: “This crop, my family harvested four crops. tons of coffee, sold for 40 million VND/ton, minus investment costs, there is not much left. It’s hard work, but the price is precarious. I plan to gradually destroy coffee to grow pepper”.
Not only Mr. Than’s family, but almost all farmers in Bau Can commune also simultaneously destroyed coffee trees to grow pepper. On average, each household destroys from 200 to 500 coffee trees on their area. It is estimated that if they destroy 200 coffee trees, they will replace 100 pepper pillars.
According to observations, the area of coffee is destroyed not because it is old, the exploitation cycle is over, but because growing pepper will bring higher profits than coffee trees.
Mr. Nguyen Quan, from Ia Mua village, said: “The reason we are breaking coffee on a small scale is because we don’t have enough investment funds to grow new pepper on a mass scale. If we have enough capital, we will do it on a large scale.”
In fact, people no longer put as much faith in coffee as before, they are hoping for a replacement of pepper in the future.
Pepper is expanded
Up to now, the price of pepper in Gia Lai has reached 110,000 VND/kg. This is considered a fairly strong increase. The Vietnam Pepper Association forecasts that the price of pepper can be up to 120,000-130,000 VND/kg. The sudden increase in pepper prices has made many Gia Lai pepper farmers excited. The “heat” of this plant is spreading strongly in Bau Can commune, causing many farmers to not hesitate to destroy coffee to grow pepper.
Ho Thi Hoi’s family pepper garden (Bau Can commune) this year has 100 pillars, harvested nearly 3 quintals. If calculated with the current price of pepper, her pepper garden has earned more than 30 million dong. According to her, pepper is much easier to make, harvest and store than coffee. Currently, her family is also growing more pepper on the coffee area that has been demolished.
Like Mrs. Hoi’s family, farmer household Tran Van Phuc is also rushing to destroy fruit trees such as jackfruit, avocado and a large area of coffee to expand pepper. Mr. Phuc said: “If I had known in advance that the price of pepper would increase like now, a few years ago, I would have destroyed all the coffee to grow pepper”.
Although arable land is scarce, farmers are still rushing to expand the pepper area on a large scale. It is estimated that if planting a new hectare of pepper, it will require 300 million VND of capital. This is a difficult problem for people in the expansion of pepper plants.
The area of newly planted pepper is expanding, pepper trees are gradually asserting its position. However, the solution to convert crops from coffee to pepper is also a big challenge for farmers.
According to the Gia Lai electronic newspaper
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