Pandemic wears out Mekong Delta farm cooperatives
Plummeting sales due to Covid-19 and a pileup of inventories mean agricultural cooperatives in Vinh Long and Soc Trang provinces are at the end of their rope.
Nguyen Ngoc Bao, chairman of the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance, said farming cooperatives are plagued by broken supply chains, ballooning inventories, higher costs, and limited resources.
He said up to 80 percent of foods produced by cooperatives and farming households are usually bought by traders, but amid social distancing and closure of markets many have stopped buying, causing sales of vegetables and fruits to fall.
Truong Ngoc Trong, chairman of the Fruit Cooperative in My Hoa Commune in Vinh Long’s Binh Minh District, said fruit and vegetable sales are down by half, and the cooperative only sells a few tons a week.
Thi Ha, Anh Minh
