Pom Lót is one of the communes with the largest vegetable-growing areas in Điện Biên District, covering 118 hectares, including 80 hectares of summer-autumn crops and 38 hectares of winter crops. Currently, the commune has over 700 households growing vegetables, with some cultivating large areas from 2 to 3 hectares. Unlike previous years, vegetable prices after the 2025 Tết holiday have dropped significantly, making life even more challenging for local farmers.

In the vegetable fields of the commune, some farmers continue to care for their crops, hoping for price increases to recover some investment costs. Just late last year, Mr. Nguyễn Văn Quân’s family in Hamlet 1 (Pom Lót Commune), along with many other households, not only supplied vegetables locally but also to companies, factories, and industrial zones in other provinces and cities. However, since the 2025 Lunar New Year, eggplant fields in the village have seen no buyers, forcing some families to cut down eggplants to plant corn.

Mr. Quân shared that his family has over 3,000sq.m of tomatoes, eggplants, chili... During the 2025 Tết holiday, they harvested and sold over three tons of tomatoes at an average price of VNĐ 5,000 per kg. Now, tomato prices have dropped to only VNĐ 1,000 - 2,000 per kg, making harvesting not worth the effort.

“It is still better than eggplants, though, because no traders are even asking to buy them now. The plants are heavy with fruit, but we must discard the ripe ones and wait for the next harvest in hopes of better prices. If there are still no buyers, we will have to cut them down to plant sweet corn,” he added.

Similarly, Mr. Nguyễn Văn Thắng’s family in Hamlet 5 (Pom Lót Commune) cultivates about 2,000sq.m of vegetables such as cauliflower, cabbage, sweet corn, and tomatoes. Despite the low prices, he continues to plant new crops, hoping for better market signals in the future.

He expressed: “Growing vegetables is always a gamble. After planting and caring for the crops, we anxiously wait for harvest, but everything depends on the market and traders. For example, cabbage prices have been only VNĐ 2,000 per kg since the beginning of the season, barely covering our labor costs. Luckily, cauliflower prices remain stable at VNĐ 15,000 - 30,000 per kg, helping offset the losses from other low-priced vegetables.”

Currently, the Noong Luống General Agricultural Cooperative (Noong Luống Commune, Điện Biên District) is working with 34 households on 3.4 hectares of vegetable production. Most of the cooperative’s crops have already been sold, and farmers are preparing for the next planting season, except for some late-planted tomatoes yet to be harvested. However, due to low prices, farmers are reluctant to harvest them.

Mr. Nguyễn Xuân Huy, Director of the Noong Luống General Agricultural Cooperative, held: “After the 2025 Tết holiday, all vegetable prices have dropped, especially tomatoes, which are sold at only VNĐ 1,000 - 1,500 per kg at the farm. I think this might be due to a good harvest in other provinces or other markets supplying Điện Biên, leading to the sharp price drop. Our cooperative still secures stable prices and markets, but households relying on traders are more affected by these low prices.”

Điện Biên District is the province’s largest vegetable-growing area, with over 2,100 hectares of vegetables. The basin area alone has over 1,700 hectares, concentrated mainly in communes like Thanh Hưng (over 300 hectares), Thanh Luông (nearly 300 hectares), and Pom Lót (118 hectares)... The local vegetable supply not only meets the demand within the district but also serves other areas. However, farmers noted that since the 2025 Tết holiday, vegetable prices have been significantly lower than in previous years, mainly because many companies, factories, and industrial zones are not fully operational yet, reducing demand for food for workers.

Facing the situation of “good harvest, low prices” and the cycle of “planting today, cutting tomorrow,” Điện Biên District authorities are actively seeking solutions to build stable markets for local agricultural products.

According to Mr. Nguyễn Gia Tuấn, Deputy Head in charge of the Điện Biên District’s Division of Agriculture and Rural Development, along with production development and crop restructuring, they have coordinated with localities to train farmers in cultivation techniques and support market access. However, many households still rely on traditional traders, making them vulnerable to price fluctuations. In the future, they will propose that the District People’s Committee develop specialized vegetable-growing areas: Thanh Hưng, Thanh Luông... for growing spices; Noong Luống, Pom Lót... for short- and long-term vegetables. “We will also guide cooperatives to link with the education sector to supply vegetables to boarding schools, ensuring more stable markets and prices,” told Mr. Tuấn.

Agricultural production still faces many challenges, such as market-dependent prices and rising production costs, making life difficult for farmers. To foster sustainable agricultural production links, local authorities and relevant agencies need to implement mechanisms and policies to encourage and support farmers, helping them maintain production and aim for profitable harvests in the coming time.