YEN BAI (UCAN): Since late May, farmers in Son La province in northern Vietnam, one of the country’s key plum-growing areas, have been unable to sell their produce due to social distancing and quarantine regulations to contain the Covid-19 coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak.
In the past many traders from other parts of the country bought and shipped plums to sell across the country and abroad. However, in recent times few traders have come.
Father Joseph Nguyen Tien Lien, of Mai Yen parish, launched an initiative on May 30 to use social media to call on people in other places to help buy the local farmers’ plums.
“Many Catholic associations, individuals and followers of other faiths have supported us and bought 200 tonnes of plums so far. Thanks be to God,” Father Nguyen said, adding that 10-30 tonnes per day are transported to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Nam Dinh, Phu Tho, Thai Binh, Yen Bai provinces and the Central Highlands.
The priest said he and a group of volunteers drive to buy plums for 3,000-5,000 dong ($1 to $1.60) per kilogramme from plantations and gardens before shipping them to other places to meet advance orders.
“We volunteer to help sell the produce of local farmers and we earn no profit,” he said, adding that customers can buy plums for 10,000 dong ($3.368) per kilogramme.
Father Nguyen explained that local farmers reaped a bumper crop but prices hit rock bottom, plummeting from 10,000 to 20,000 ($3.36 to $6.73) dong last year to 2,000 to 5,000 dong ($.0.67 to $1.68) per kilogramme this year. He said farmers would face starvation as plums are their main source of income. The province produces thousands of tonnes of plums each year.
“We try our best to collect plums until the harvest ends at the end of this month (June) as plums are ripe and will rot when the rainy season comes,” Father Nguyen said, adding that they try to assist farmers who have worked hard and could now lose their major investments.
‘We volunteer to help sell the produce of local farmers and we earn no profit’ … He said farmers would face starvation as plums are their main source of income
Father Nguyen
“We want to cherish their agricultural products as they are the fruits of their sweat and efforts,” he said.
Mary Nguyen Thi Lan, head of the Good Mothers Association based in Yen Bai parish, said members have lent their support by purchasing five tonnes of plums from Father Nguyen.
She said each member buys tens of kilogrammes of produce to offer their relatives and friends. Plums are consumed fresh, preserved and made into soft drinks.
“We are delighted to work with Father Nguyen to assist poor farmers affected by the health measures against the coronavirus outbreak,” she said.
One association member, Mary Nguyen Thu Hang, said she gets 100 kilogrammes of plums each time to offer her relatives in Hanoi and southern provinces.
The mother of three said she buys the plums and teaches her children how to appreciate the farmers’ hard work.
Father Nguyen, who has worked in the area since 2017, said he serves almost 3,000 Catholics from the Hmong, Kinh, Thai and Xinh Mun ethnic communities in Mai Son, Phu Yen and Bac Yen districts..
