The Early Harvest of Longan Brings in Profits of Up to $10,000 per Hectare

While unfavorable weather conditions this year led to a decrease in early-season Thanh Nhãn yield, the high demand and prices for the early harvest have kept profits high for farmers.

Some gardens in Thoi Hung commune have already started harvesting Thanh Nhãn. The harvest is so abundant that it cannot keep up with the domestic and export market demand. Mr. Dang Thanh Tam’s garden supplies tons of fruit daily to exporters and domestic traders at a price of VND 70,000-90,000 per kg. So far, Mr. Tam’s 2.5-hectare garden is almost sold out, even before the peak harvest season.

This year’s yield is estimated at 20 tons, 8 tons less than last year. However, according to Mr. Dang Thanh Tam, even though the early harvest did not yield as much as the main crop, the prices were better.

Thanks to their participation in a cooperative linked to businesses, farmers no longer worry about consumption and prices, especially for the early harvest, which is always in high demand and fetches a good price. Out of his 20 tons of Thanh Nhãn, Mr. Tam sold 12 tons to exporters and the remaining 8 tons to the domestic market.

Understanding the market demand for early Thanh Nhãn, farmers induce their trees to bear fruit earlier. However, this year’s extreme heat, followed by the first rains of the season, caused heat shock in the trees, resulting in a lower fruit-setting rate and a yield reduction of about 30% compared to previous years.

According to Mr. Tran Phuoc Son, head of the Trang Ti Garden Cooperative in Thoi Hung commune, early flowering Thanh Nhãn is more susceptible to flower burning, drying, and shedding. As a result, most early harvests are risky, and only a few achieve the expected yield, estimated at less than 10 tons per hectare.

“During the harvest season, night rains create high humidity. When the fruit is ripe and ready for export, if the exporters do not pick them in time, the quality will be affected within two days, and the fruit will not meet export standards due to changes in color and appearance,” said Mr. Phuoc Son.

According to farmers with early Thanh Nhãn, although the yield is lower this year, the high prices, ranging from VND 70,000 to 90,000 per kg, have brought excitement. Each hectare of Thanh Nhãn brings farmers a profit of about VND 200-250 million after deducting expenses. As a result, the income of farmers harvesting early Thanh Nhãn is higher than those harvesting during the main season.

Currently, Thanh Nhãn is mainly grown in Co Do district, with over 330 hectares, of which 115 hectares are linked to businesses for export to markets such as the US, Australia, and Canada. Independent of the domestic market, Thanh Nhãn has been sought-after in recent years, commanding high prices, especially at the beginning of the season.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Tran, Head of the Plant Protection and Plant Quarantine Station of Co Do district, every year, Co Do district’s gardens link with businesses to export about 250 tons of Thanh Nhãn, increasing profits for farmers. Instead of selling only to domestic traders, linking with businesses to export Thanh Nhãn brings higher prices, VND 10,000-15,000 per kg higher than the domestic market price. Thanh Nhãn provides stable profits for farmers.