Pepper productivity decreased sharply due to prolonged drought and disease

 

Prolonged drought, along with many diseases, caused pepper productivity in Kien Giang to decrease sharply, and farmers were less happy because the pepper crop failed.

Pepper prices are rising again after a long period of low levels. Currently, traders are buying at the garden for 95,000 VND/kg, an increase of nearly 30,000 VND/kg compared to the end of 2023. Although prices have increased, many households grow them. Pepper in Kien Giang is still not happy because this year's pepper crop failed and the harvest yield was low.

Mr. Thach Nat, a  longtime pepper grower  in Ha Tien City, said: "Each pepper planting post, if the weather is favorable and well cared for, can yield from 800g to 1kg. However, this year the harvest only reached less than 500g/head. The reason is due to prolonged drought and lack of irrigation water, pepper plants do not develop well and bear little fruit."

As the owner of a pepper purchasing and processing facility in a commune on the outskirts of Ha Tien City, Mr. Ngo Hoang Du said: "It is now the harvest season but each day the facility can only purchase a few dozen kilograms of raw pepper. Because this year's pepper crop was poor, farmers harvested low yields. Furthermore, because pepper prices are increasing, there are households who are not in a hurry to sell right away but wait for the price."

Mr. Tran Quang Giau, Director of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection of Kien Giang province, said that currently the whole province only has about 384 hectares of pepper growing, scattered in the districts of Giong Rieng, Go Quao, U Minh Thuong, Kien Luong, Kien Hai, Ha Tien City and Phu Quoc.

Recently, because pepper prices are low while input costs are increasing, the more they grow, the more they lose money, so farmers destroy pepper gardens and switch to other crops. In addition, many pepper gardens in Go Quao, Giong Rieng, Phu Quoc are infected with diseases, commonly slow death, quick death, crazy pepper, nematodes with a total area of ​​more than 26 hectares, affecting harvest output.