3 years ago, after a case of a farmer with muddy hands and feet suddenly became a billionaire, a “giant”; Now, after only 1-2 cases, the “pepper giants”, once famous pepper billionaires, suddenly became empty-handed and became debtors.
Disease spread, costs increased, prices dropped… many pepper gardens were left unattended.
Receiving us in a quiet house with no men in sight, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai (Hoa Binh village, Nhon Hoa town, Chu Pu district, Gia Lai) said sadly: “My husband and son went to Ho Chi Minh City to work as hired workers to I have money to pay the bank debt because of how much money my family threw into pepper, now it’s dead, the debt is piled up, I don’t know how to calculate it.”
Pointing to the pepper garden that was burnt to gray, Ms. Hai teared up: Not only my family, many pepper growers in Chu Puh, Chu Se all had the same situation of pepper suddenly wilting and then “rolling dead” ”, in addition to the continuous low pepper price.
“The whole family’s income looks at pepper, but this income has been lost for the past 2 years, the original debt is still there, every month, her family still pays 8 million dong in interest on bank loans,” said Hai, as if she wanted to cry.
Next to us, Mr. Nguyen Tam (formerly a teacher, once a “giant” of pepper in Dak Doa – Gia Lai) pondered that he was one of the families who were in debt to the bank due to investment in pepper. Currently.
“Before each hectare of pepper, we earn 100 million, we use that revenue to invest in expanding the area. Suddenly pepper price dropped, 750 million dong of unpaid bank debt, not to mention an additional 8 million dong of loan interest every month. In Ya Bla commune, all people have given up pepper land to work in industrial zones,” said Mr. Tam sadly.
Mr. Tam, once a “pepper giant”, is now in debt. Photo: Labor Newspaper
According to Mr. Tam, at present, not only bank loans, households that buy agricultural materials such as fertilizers and pesticides are also unable to pay their debts. In Ham Rong village, Ia Bang commune, Dak Doa district (Gia Lai), there are many fertilizer agents that are being held up by pepper growers.
The mistake of not listening to the advice of the staff
Talking to PV, Mr. Hoang Phuoc Binh – General Secretary of Chu Se Pepper Association shared: “A few years ago, pepper prices were high, so households rushed to plant, leading to supply exceeding demand. According to the Department of Planting Information, there are about 100,000 pepper growing households, but in my opinion this number may be 200,000 households with about 149,000 ha. Pepper prices have dropped sharply in the last 3 years, currently only about 40,000 VND/kg, not enough to pay the picking rent, so many growers abandon the plants and do not take care of them.
According to Mr. Vu Ngoc An – Deputy Director of Gia Lai Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, 3 years ago when pepper prices started to drop, in the face of massive increase in pepper area, the province’s agricultural sector sent officials came down to survey and dissuade, but the growers still did not listen. Now, on the one hand, pepper prices are low due to excess in the world, and on the other hand, pepper trees have died simultaneously due to diseases, so many farmers have almost lost everything.
“Many families suffer from the death of pepper. 3 years ago, the spending was high, watching them collect billions of money, I was very greedy, wanted to expand the area. But my family is poor and has no collateral, so we can’t get a bank loan to invest. Now a series of pepper growers have lost revenue and are in debt; I don’t have capital, I don’t invest in anything, but I escape,” said Mr. Siu Toi – Dak Doa – Gia Lai.
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