This shortage has caused prices of vegetables, tubers, and fruits at local markets, stores, and supermarkets to increase simultaneously by 3 - 4 times compared to before.

In Điện Biên province, the local supply of vegetables is not enough to meet consumption needs, causing family living costs to rise significantly. High prices create double pressure: Consumers tighten spending, while vendors struggle to manage goods sources in the context of prolonged scarcity.

In recent days, the market for vegetables, tubers, and fruits in Điện Biên has witnessed the strongest price increase in many years. From traditional markets such as Mường Thanh, Thanh Trường, and Noong Bua to supermarkets and food stores, most items have increased by one and a half times, doubled, or even increased by 3 - 4 times compared to previous years. According to vendors, the main cause stems from the recent prolonged storms and floods causing widespread inundation in many Northern and Central provinces, damaging large areas of vegetable crops and severely interrupting supply from key growing regions. Meanwhile, vegetable production in Điện Biên is inherently not abundant and is now even more insufficient to meet consumption needs, leading to local scarcity.

Recorded at Mường Thanh market, currently, prices of vegetables, tubers, and fruits of all kinds are anchored at high levels. Specifically, prices of various mustard greens range from VND 25,000 - 30,000/kg; cauliflower and tomatoes from VND 40,000 - 50,000/kg; perilla VND 40,000/kg; scallions VND 30,000 - 40,000/kg... Some types of tubers and fruits such as carrots, potatoes, and pumpkins transported from other provinces have seen sharp price increases due to transportation costs and scarce supply.

Nguyễn Thị Lan from Điện Biên Phủ ward shared that in many years of going to the market, she has never seen vegetables as expensive as at this time. Previously, with only VND 50,000, she could buy enough vegetables for the whole family for a day, but now that amount is only enough to buy a few vegetables and tubers. Therefore, every time she goes to the market, she has to calculate and choose carefully to balance family spending. Consumers like her are not only worried about rising costs but also fear that prices will continue to escalate if the weather continues to be unfavorable.

High vegetable prices not only increase pressure on consumers but also put vendors in a “difficult on both sides” situation. They said that although they wake up early to collect goods, the imported volume is much lower than before. Vegetable supply from Sơn La, Lào Cai, Hà Nội, Hưng Yên... was greatly impacted by prolonged storms and floods, causing many vegetable areas in these provinces to be flooded, suffer from pests and diseases, and output to drop sharply; transportation is difficult, so very few goods arrive at the market. Reduced supply and high spoilage rates cause vegetable prices to rise sharply, while buyers tighten spending. Therefore, vendors only dare to import goods moderately and hope prices will soon “cool down” when supply stabilizes again.

Meanwhile, the vegetable production area in the province is fragmented, mainly grown in some communes in the basin area and part of the highland area, but the scale is not large enough to meet the needs of the people. Winter is a difficult time for vegetable production; some newly planted areas were damaged by frost and had to be replanted, increasing costs and prolonging harvest time.

Lò Thị Nương in Bó village, Thanh Nưa commune, said: Vegetable prices this year have increased sharply, the highest in many recent years. Every year, the family cultivates over 1,000m² of vegetables, tubers, and fruits, enough to supply the market and partly sell to traders. But the weather this year is erratic, with prolonged rain, followed by severe cold and frost, so I only planted about 300m². Newly planted vegetable beds were heavily damaged, and many areas died completely due to the cold. If extreme weather conditions persist, the family’s income will decrease significantly.

For the 2025 winter crop, the whole province strives to cultivate about 1,438ha of vegetables, with an expected yield of over 184 quintals/ha and an output of about 26,500 tons. Currently, people are actively planting and caring for vegetables, concentrating in areas with favorable conditions regarding water and transport. Crop structure is diverse, prioritizing short-term vegetables such as cauliflower, cabbage, beans, tomatoes, kohlrabi, herbs...

The provincial agriculture sector advises people to proactively apply technical measures to limit risks due to weather, especially using plastic covers, making drainage frames, and using short-term and resilient varieties. At the same time, production households need to comply with safe farming processes, increase the use of organic fertilizers and biological plant protection drugs to ensure agricultural product quality and meet market requirements. Localities continue to coordinate with enterprises and cooperatives to expand concentrated production zones and build stable consumption linkage chains. People need to closely monitor weather developments and proactively update information from professional agencies to timely adjust production plans.

In the context of strong price fluctuations in the green vegetable market, growers, sellers, and consumers all hope for favorable weather for crops to grow and develop well, increasing supply and stabilizing prices; especially for the occasion of the 2026 Bính Ngọ Lunar New Year.