Farmers in Vinh Long’s Binh Tan District classify sweet potatoes. Purple sweet potato prices have risen sharply - Photo: Trung Chanh

CAN THO – After a long falling streak, prices of purple-fleshed sweet potatoes in the Mekong Delta have suddenly picked up on the threshold of the Lunar New Year.

Traders are now buying the first-grade purple sweet potatoes at VND1.1-1.2 million per 60-kilo bag, up VND500,000-600,000 against a month ago, said Son Van Luan, chairman of the sweet potato co-operative Tan Thanh in Binh Tan District, Vinh Long Province.

Meanwhile, red-fleshed sweet potatoes are currently sold at VND600,000-700,000 per bag, a rise of VND100,000-300,000 compared to one month ago.

Sweet potato growers in Vinh Long and Dong Thap attributed the sharp price increases to surging demand, while the supply is limited.

In addition to mainland China, many traders from Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong have recently come and placed bulk orders for purple sweet potatoes through Binh Thuan Fruits & Greens Co., said Luan.

“The leader of Binh Thuan Fruits & Greens has contacted me, asking for sale of purple sweet potatoes at VND23,000 a kilo, but we have turned down because the supply is now very small,” he said.

With the current prices, growers of purple sweet potatoes earn a profit of some VND180-200 million per hectare, according to the division of agriculture and rural development of Vinh Long’s Binh Tan District.

“In my experience, sweet potato prices will likely remain high until the end of March,” said Luan.

The Saigon Times Daily