Normally, the plum season starts from mid-May to early June, but this year, due to prolonged hot weather, early-season plums have appeared in many stores in Hanoi.
Also because they are still scarce, the price of plums is very high, three to four times the price of the main crop. The good variety can cost up to about 300,000 VND/kg and the cheapest variety is also over 100,000 VND/kg.
Many fruit vendors at Yen Phu market (Tay Ho district, Hanoi) said that despite the high price, wholesale sellers are still continuously selling out because the demand is too high.
“Due to the off-season, the quantity is limited, customers usually have the mentality of wanting to eat early, so that’s why the price is high but still selling well. This is a good time to sell plums, whatever amount I import, it will be sold out, even if I want to import more, there is no stock. With each batch of imported goods, I can only import 30 – 40 kg,” said one vendor.
However, she also said that sellers do not make too much profit because the purchase price from the orchard is already high, from 200,000 – 250,000 VND/kg, not counting the cost of transportation, preservation when returning to Hanoi.
Hau plums are crunchy, sweet, with a slightly milder sour taste compared to imported plums. This type of fruit is only available once a year, so it is highly sought after by many people.
Hau plums are also being sold online with prices ranging from 200,000 – 250,000 VND/kg. Ms. Loc, a specialist in online sales, explains: “Because of selling online, there is no need to pay for the cost of premises, so the price of plums will be slightly cheaper compared to the market. I directly order off-season plums from the orchard in Moc Chau and sell them in sets with dipping salt, 500g per set to suit the customers’ budget.
“As soon as the goods arrived, I sold out in one day. There are many times when there is no stock to sell, I have to constantly urge the orchard to deliver but they also have to wait for the plums to ripen before they can harvest,”
she said.
Hau plums are sold online with dipping sauce.
Ms. Loc commented that the price of plums this year is higher than in previous years. The reason, the orchard owners said, is due to the unpredictable weather, resulting in a much smaller harvest. The plums are not only sold in Hanoi and neighboring provinces, but the orchards also export them to the Central and Southern regions.
