Thousands hectares of dragon fruit crops in the southern province of Binh Thuan are in danger of failure, as the prolonged drought has led to severe shortages of irrigation water.
Ham Thuan Nam, one of districts with largest acreage of the fruit, has seen the water level of the Tan Lap and Ba Bau lakes deplete, which has led to the destruction of the valuable crop.
A kilogram of dragon fruit fetches VND10,000-12,000, profiting farmers VND7-8 million per 1,000 square meters of field. The price has tripled since last year.
Binh Thuan, known as the dragon fruit “capital” of Vietnam, grows over 10,000 hectares of fields, which yield 200,000 tons a year.
