The usually bustling black tamarind orchards in Huong Son district are facing a quiet season this year, with farmers suffering losses due to a poor harvest. Mr. Nguyen Van Chinh, a resident of Son Ninh commune, has eight ancient black tamarind trees. In previous years, each tree yielded nearly one tonne of fruit annually, bringing in a total income of about VND35 million. However, this year, the harvest has been poor, and Mr. Chinh’s family only expects to earn around VND1-2 million from their orchard.
Mr. Chinh shared that since planting the tamarind trees, there hasn’t been a year with such low yield as this year. “While the price of tamarind is higher this year due to the poor harvest, I am disappointed that I don’t have much fruit to sell. We’ve never experienced such a significant loss before,” he said.
Mr. Nguyen Van Chinh is dismayed by the poor tamarind harvest this year.
According to several tamarind-growing families in Huong Son, the poor harvest this year is due to unpredictable weather conditions, especially during the flowering season when there was a lot of rain, which resulted in a low fruit-setting rate and subsequently lower yields.
In previous years, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien of Son Ninh commune would hire experienced workers at VND1 million per day during the tamarind harvest season. However, due to the poor harvest this year, with fruits sparsely scattered across the trees, she and her husband had to harvest the tamarind themselves.
“If we hired workers like we did in previous years, the cost would exceed the income from selling the fruit. So, my husband and I decided to harvest it ourselves. This year, the tamarind yield is at a record low, but due to high demand from buyers, the price is higher,” said Ms. Hien.
In previous years, traders purchased tamarind at prices ranging from VND110,000 to VND130,000 per kg, but this year, the price has increased to over VND150,000 per kg.
The black tamarind trees have suffered a significant loss this year, impacting the income of local farmers.
Kim Hoa commune is also known for its large number of black tamarind trees, with over 400 trees. However, many families in the area have suffered complete losses this year, with no income from tamarind sales due to the trees not bearing any fruit.
“My family usually earns more than VND10 million from selling black tamarind each year, but this year, we’ve only made over VND2 million,” said Mr. Le Van Kinh, a resident of Kim Hoa commune.
A farmer climbs a tamarind tree to harvest the fruit.
Mr. Tran Quang Hoa, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Office of Huong Son district, stated that while black tamarind is not a key crop in the district, it has provided a significant income source for local residents in the past.
As tamarind trees require minimal care and rely mostly on natural conditions, the unpredictable weather this year has led to a lower yield compared to previous years. The poor harvest of black tamarind has significantly impacted the income of residents in Son Ninh, Son Bang, Son Tien, Son Phu, Kim Hoa, and An Hoa Thinh communes.
