Farmers Are Looking Forward to The Summer Fruit Harvest

​(News Portal – Dong Nai) - The summer fruit season usually kicks off at the end of April. This year, due to the impact of an intense dry and hot season, the summer fruit harvest has been delayed. 

As a result, many garden tourism sites in the province have also welcomed visitors later than usual to enjoy the summer fruits. Farmers are anxiously awaiting the harvest with concerns about reduced profits due to both decreased yields and missed opportunities to sell early-season fruits at premium prices. 

Many rambutan gardens in Binh Loc Commune, Long Khanh City have delayed their harvest by a month compared to the same period last year

The impact of prolonged, intense heat has delayed the summer fruit season.

The durian harvest in Dong Nai usually spans from May to July. However, in previous years, many gardens have started harvesting durian as early as March. This year, the prolonged and severe dry season has impacted the durian crop. Currently, most durian-growing areas in the province are still in the fruit nurturing stage. Even the areas that have started early harvests are only in the initial phase with minimal yield, lagging over a month behind the usual summer fruit season. This delay is also observed in other summer fruits like avocados, mangosteens, and rambutans. The late season means farmers miss the chance to sell early-season fruits at high prices.

The limited supply has driven the prices of early-season summer fruits higher than the same period last year. According to fruit traders in the province, early-season summer fruit prices this year are higher than usual. Specifically, in March and April, some durian gardens with early-ripe fruits sold at over 100,000 VND/kg. Early-season mangosteens fetched up to 80,000 VND/kg at the garden, and Thai rambutan sold for 45,000 VND/kg. However, most gardens in Dong Nai have not yet reaped the benefits of these high prices due to the delayed harvest.

Currently, many provinces in the Mekong Delta have already harvested durians, rambutans, mangosteens, etc., causing prices to drop daily. At present, Ri 6 durian sells at gardens for only 50,000-60,000 VND/kg, Monthong for 60,000-65,000 VND/kg; mangosteen for 35,000-40,000 VND/kg, and Thai rambutan for 15,000-20,000 VND/kg, significantly lower than the previous month.

According to many mangosteen and rambutan growers in Binh Loc Commune, Long Khanh City, the intense heat has reduced mangosteen and rambutan yields by 20-30% compared to previous years. The fruits that trees still bear are smaller, with less flesh, reducing the percentage of top-grade fruits that can be sold at high prices, impacting farmers' profits.

Durian gardens in Xuan Loc District awaiting harvest​

Impact on Garden Tourism

In recent years, Dong Nai has seen strong growth in garden tourism. The summer fruit season is the peak period for garden tourism in the province, especially in long-renowned specialty fruit areas like Long Khanh City. The delay in the summer fruit season also means many garden tourism businesses are welcoming tourists later than usual.

Mrs. Nong Quay Phong, a farmer in Cay Da Hamlet, Binh Loc Commune (Long Khanh City), shared that her family has 0.7 hectares of rambutan. In recent years, her family has partnered with a company specializing in garden tourism, becoming a tourist attraction. Every year, the garden welcomes tourists from late April, but this year, they had to wait over a month to open to visitors due to the delayed fruit ripening.

Sharing the same concern, Mr. Tran Van Loc, owner of Loc La Garden Tourism in Binh Loc Commune, Long Khanh City, said that every year, gardens open to tourists from the April 30 holiday, as many gardens are already laden with ripe fruits by this time. This year, he partnered with about 10 rambutan gardens and other fruit gardens, but most are not yet ready for harvest. He had to postpone welcoming tourists until early June. Consequently, gardens missed the opportunity to host the large influx of holiday tourists from late April due to the delayed summer fruit season. Not only is the season delayed, but many gardens also face reduced yields and lower fruit quality compared to previous years, affecting farmers' income. ​