Traders travel south to buy green bananas and sell them north
In Vietnamese culture, the green banana represents the wood element in the five elements theory and symbolizes family reunion, prosperity, and warmth due to its unique growth pattern of multiple fruits growing together in a cluster.
However, Storm No. 3 and the subsequent flooding have severely impacted banana plantations in the North, leading to a scarce supply for the upcoming Tet holiday.
Nguyen Nhan, a farmer from Tu Ky district in Hai Duong province, shared that her family had about one hectare of green bananas for the Tet market last year. Unfortunately, this year’s crop was destroyed by the storm, resulting in a significant loss for the family.
Meanwhile, Minh Hoang, a trader from Hanoi, shared that he had just returned from Dong Nai, the country’s banana hub, where he purchased two truckloads of bananas to sell to customers preparing their trays of five fruits for Tet.
“I bought them directly from the gardens at a price ranging from 25,000 to 30,000 VND per kg. For a bunch of ten clusters, the price ranges from 250,000 to 300,000 VND,” said Hoang.
Green banana bunches bought directly from the garden cost between 300,000 and 500,000 VND each
In Hanoi, many retailers in the markets have reported that the price of green bananas for the five-fruit tray this year is two to four times higher than last year. Well-shaped banana clusters are being sold for 200,000 to 300,000 VND per cluster.
Previously, Nguyen Hong Yen, Head of the Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection in Hoa Binh province, shared that many northern provinces were affected by Storm No. 3, resulting in significant damage to banana plantations. At the same time, the Chinese market has been absorbing a large amount of bananas.
As a result, traders have been actively seeking to purchase bananas at high prices. Many gardens are selling their bananas for 500,000 VND, and some traders are even buying entire gardens, locking them up, and taking care of the bananas themselves to export to China for Tet.
In the South, Vo Quan Huy, Director of Huy Long An Company in Long An province, shared that the high banana prices have been beneficial for farmers.
