The Central Highlands owns about 2 million hectares of red basalt soil with a relatively favorable climate. This is a great advantage for the development of the farming industry and makes a positive contribution to the country's agriculture in particular and the country's economy in general.
However, in recent years, the Central Highlands agriculture has encountered many difficulties. Crops that are considered key, such as pepper, cashew, coffee and rubber, have low efficiency, even at a loss. So where is the cause of this paradox? And how to effectively use this area of fertile agricultural land of millions of hectares?
The whole country has about 3 million hectares of red basalt soil, of which the Central Highlands has 2 million hectares. This type of soil has low acidity, thick soil layer, porous, nutritious and suitable for a lot of crops, especially high-value plants. Therefore, in recent years, crops such as coffee, pepper, rubber … have been grown with expectations of great economic efficiency.
Currently, the coffee area in the Central Highlands is about 630,000 hectares, rubber is about 250,000 hectares, pepper hundreds of thousands of hectares … These are all perennial industrial crops, ie must be planted, invested and cared for many years. New for harvest. But “planting trees to the day of picking fruits”, many people are forced to cut down because the price of products: pepper, rubber latex plummeted, producing losses.
Capital was considered a “white gold” for a while, but the price of rubber decreased from 120 million / ton to only 28-30 million / ton (lower than product cost), which made smallholder rubber plantation tightened. Trees, companies with large production areas must also reduce the area. Those households who still hang on to rubber trees are in very difficult circumstances.
Mr. Dang Thanh Tue, in Village 3, Ia Nhin Commune, Chu Pah District, said that in 2005, with the support of an agricultural diversification project, he borrowed a bank loan to plant 5ha of rubber. In the first 2 years of harvest, rubber gardens also give profits. Until now, the price of rubber is low, the revenue is not enough to reinvest back into the orchard. Rubber garden seemed to help his family change life, now became a difficult debt to solve.
“When the price of rubber is down, people are the most difficult to invest, no money to invest back, life increasingly difficult. We suggest that the superior should study the freezing of old debts, low-interest loans for investment, and research on finding outputs for people “, Mr. Dang Thanh Tue said.
| Pepper is one of the key industrial crops in the Central Highlands, but now the economic value of this tree is not high |
Rubber prices have plummeted since 2013, falling deeply and showing no signs of recovery. As early as 6 years ago, many households cut down rubber trees in the hope of switching to coffee trees to have more stable income sources. However, growing coffee trees is also risky.
Mrs. H’nhung Ayun's family in Cuôr Đăng B village, Cuôr Đăng commune, Cư M’gar district, Dak Lak province planted 1 ha of coffee, of which more than 6 sao has been harvested. Last year, this area collected 1.6 tons of green coffee, with a selling price of 37,000 VND / kg. Except for expenses, her family still earns only about 30 million dong. Coffee crop crop failure, lost prices.
“This year, my coffee production is lower than last year, only about 8 quintals, while the selling price is also lower than last year. Currently, we update the market price at only VND 34,000 / kg. Loss of crops, devaluation like this, our family losses; payroll, investment money for the next season is not enough, ”Ms. H’nhung Ayun said
The Central Highlands has spent 30 years becoming a key pepper growing region of the country and the world. However, at the present time, the “pepper graveyard” appears more and more, rotting orchards due to abandonment, pepper gardens die dry, the famous pepper growing villages are absent due to falling prices. deep down product cost. When the bank debts are due and cannot be repaid, the farmers can only leave the country.
Mr. Ha Dinh Thuy, Chairman of People's Committee of Ia Blang commune, Chu Se district, Gia Lai said: “Previously, people borrowed capital from banks in the district for economic development, focusing on investing in lakes. pepper and coffee. However, pepper prices are very deep and dead, making it difficult to pay bank loans of some households. Local authorities recommend to all levels for freezing, rescheduling, for farmers in the area that have previously borrowed, so that people can reduce difficulties.
The crops which were considered as the key ones such as “white gold” and “black gold” of the people in the Central Highlands now have low efficiency, become a burden and become difficult debts. Large rubber growing enterprises in the Central Highlands, including units of the Vietnam Rubber Industry Group, have encountered many difficulties in recent years. Latex price dropped deeply in a long time, many units after deducting investment, labor cost … only gained about 50,000 VND / ha / year.
Mr. Duong Van Trang, Member of the Central Party Committee, Secretary of Gia Lai Provincial Party Committee said: “In Gia Lai province, there are about 100,000 hectares of rubber trees, after accounting for business, paying workers, on average The profit is 3 million VND, so how much is 100,000 hectares. General Director of Mang Yang Rubber Company, said that each hectare profit is 50,000 VND, 1 bowl of pho. Each year this company losses about 15-20 billion.
Growing a few holes, planting a lot of debt has been a concern of farmers in the Central Highlands during recent years. From farmers to private enterprises, state-owned enterprises producing key agricultural products in the Central Highlands are struggling to face the negative effects of agricultural markets and bank debts. is a sad reality in the Central Highlands today.
According to NN247
