Vietnam rice farmers face losses from low prices and weather

Rice farmers in Vietnam are facing significant financial hardships during the summer-autumn harvest due to falling prices and adverse weather conditions.

In Ca Mau province, farmers report substantial losses as rice prices have dropped repeatedly. Some producers noted that profit margins plummeted from expected levels of over 30 million VND to as little as 5 million VND for a 5-hectare plot. This decline is compounded by rising costs for agricultural inputs, including fertilizers like DAP and urea, as well as pesticides.

In Nghe An province, weather volatility has severely impacted yields. Intense heat followed by prolonged heavy rains during the flowering and milk-filling stages has caused widespread grain sterility, often referred to locally as rice that ‘does not bow.’ Approximately 6,000 hectares of rice in the region have been affected by this issue. In certain areas like Quynh Anh commune, 100% of the summer-autumn rice area has been impacted by varying degrees of grain sterility, leading to significantly reduced productivity.