Tens of thousands of pepper seedlings bought by farmers for planting have died, leading to great damage to pepper growers in Gia Lai.
Pepper seeds are sold as… vegetables
Lose money, miss work
With more than 3 hectares of land ready to grow pepper, Mr. Nguyen Huy Hung from Dak Smei commune, Dak Doa district (Gia Lai) has invested to buy nearly 7,000 pepper pots for 7,000 VND/pack. The whole pepper garden that has been planted for less than two months has almost died, only a few hundred gourds left. Mr. Hung lamented: “Now it’s too late to plant again. I invested 300 million dong here in fertilizers, pesticides, plowing, seeds… Sorry, I had to click my stomach to buy 3,000 more gourds of pepper to plant. Do not dare to plant all the area for fear of spoiling again. I don’t know why because I just planted pepper for the first time.”
Similarly, Mr and Mrs. Nguyen Hoa Binh in H. Chu Prong bought 2,000 gourds of pepper to plant but less than a month the whole pepper garden died. “Many farmers who buy land and spend money to grow pepper are in the same situation as us. Many causes of death have been given, such as pepper being sprayed by gardeners with a lot of stimulating chemicals, diseased pepper, improper soil preparation, fertilizer application, etc. Any cause seems reasonable, but the exact reason is correct. What it is has not been determined so far. Our farmers keep falling into a vicious circle,” Binh worries.
Floating the market
In Gia Lai, in addition to the pepper cultivation area in Chu Se and Chu Puh districts, thousands of farmers in other districts in Chu Prong or Dak Doa and Mang Yang also massively planted pepper. According to the statistics of the authorities, the pepper area in Gia Lai has increased rapidly with more than 13,000 hectares, while the planning towards 2020 is only 6,000 hectares.
In order to meet the increasing demand for pepper varieties, hundreds of places supplying pepper seeds cut from trees (also known as evil pepper) and growing gourds (salan pepper) have flourished in Gia Lai. However, the functional sector of this province still does not have strict management of the supply of pepper seeds. This market is almost floating. Tens of thousands of seeds purchased for planting died, causing double losses to farmers.
Along National Highway 14, the section through Chu Se and Chu Puh districts, pepper is sold as… vegetables. Many sellers advertise the source of pepper wire from Vinh Linh, Binh Phuoc or districts in Gia Lai province with prices from 30,000 to 35,000 VND/string. However, buyers who bid down to 10,000-15,000 VND/string also sold. Not only the price is “crazy”, the quality of the seed source is also not appraised by anyone, but the buyer can only believe in the seller’s promise. Mr. Bao, a farmer who is considered an “expert” in the field of pepper, said: “Last year, my family raised and sold more than 200,000 gourds. This year I only nurse 60,000 gourds. Anyone who comes to buy me is ready to give technical instructions. With the price of 10,000 VND / vote, I will send someone to plant, guarantee within more than 1 month, I will die. And if I buy and plant it myself, I will sell it for 6,000 VND / vote. I guarantee that the breed of home-grown pepper is good. If it dies, it will be due to planting and caring techniques (!?)”.
While pepper farmers are worried, the local authorities are still very passive in learning, advising and helping pepper growers to overcome difficulties. Responding to PV Thanh Nien on July 13, Mr. Le Van Linh, deputy director of Gia Lai Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said: “We will examine the problem of so many dead peppers to find out the cause. Farmers also need to review all preparations for planting pepper as well as planting techniques to avoid unnecessary damage and missed crops. The origin of the seed also needs to be carefully selected at reputable suppliers to avoid potential diseases and grow well when planted.
Need guidance on growing pepper
With prices ranging from 170,000 to 220,000 VND/kg, in recent years pepper has really caused a fever in Gia Lai as well as in the Central Highlands provinces – where the soil is good for this crop. The area of pepper increased rapidly, farmers in many places destroyed other crops to grow pepper. However, Mr. Hoang Phuoc Binh, Standing Vice Chairman of Chu Se Pepper Association, warned: “It is not easy to eat. Must prepare all stages from selecting land, making soil, choosing varieties… Many farmers do not follow the right process. Like they buy is also not standard. If you buy it and you have to spend it with pathogens, you will die no matter how much you plant and take care of it, it costs money and effort. Then planting is also wrong. In general, farmers do not have a correct process when growing pepper.”
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