Rare Edible Gem: Quang Ngai’s High Demand for Fresh Areca Nuts

Despite the high cost of fresh areca nuts in Quang Ngai province, traders are actively competing to purchase them. Currently, each kilogram of fresh areca nuts is priced at over 50,000 VND, almost 5 times higher than last year at the same time. This is due to fluctuations in supply and demand, as well as the Chinese market, which is the main consumer of this product.

Throughout the rural and mountainous areas of Quang Ngai province, traders are busy buying fresh areca nuts from gardens. The current purchase price per kilogram of fresh nuts at the garden ranges from 50,000 – 55,000 VND. After buying the areca nuts, traders will transport them to collection points where they are separated from stems and fruits before being dried. Typically, 7-8 kg of fresh nuts will yield 1 kg of dried areca nuts which are then exported to China for candy production.

Areca nuts have been in high demand during Tet with prices exceeding 100,000 VND per kg before gradually decreasing in summer months when prices were typically around 10,000 VND per kg. However, this year prices have been steadily increasing and growers like Ms. Tran Huyen Thanh in Nghia Hanh district have benefited from the high prices by earning substantial income from selling them on their land.

The agricultural sector lacks precise statistics on the total production of areca palms in Quang Ngai province as they mainly cultivate by small gardeners across the region. Growers see an opportunity for profit and are eager to sell their produce to traders even though current prices may be higher than last year’s prices but hope that when the main harvest season arrives prices will still be high providing a good income for local farmers.