The price of pepper in the southern province of Binh Phuoc has sharply fallen, making local gardeners worried they could face a season of losses.

The price of pepper currently ranges from VND45,000 (US$1.90) to VND46,000 per kilo, down by about VND5,000 from last month. With this price, many farmers failed to make a profit, with some even suffering losses due to the costs of fertiliser, electricity, water and labour.

Party Secretary of Binh Phuoc Province Nguyen Van Loi said local farmers have harvested more than 30,000 tonnes of pepper qualified for export, only one-third of which had been ordered by a business. The remaining 20,000 tonnes had not yet been sold.

Loi called for domestic and foreign exporters to pay attention to the local pepper harvests because the price was too low, which had caused difficulties for farmers.

Meanwhile, pepper harvesters still earn a lot as they are hired at a rate of VND4,000 per kilo.

Nguyen Van Son, a resident in Hon Quan District, said he can harvest about 80 kilos of pepper per day, while his wife can harvest 100 kilos. “We had a high income during the harvest this year,” he said. — VNS