Cassava exports rise sharply in four months

China was the biggest buyer, importing them to produce feed and ethanol. Export prices are expected to remain high due to falling supply and high demand from China.

In the domestic market, cassava prices have reached VND3,400 per kilogramme, the highest in many years, which has encouraged farmers to take better care of their crops.

Nguyen Dinh Xuan, director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tay Ninh province, which has the largest area under cassava in the country, said at current prices farmers could earn over VND70 million (US$3,030) per hectare per crop.

Last year the province harvested over 3.7 million tonnes, he said. In the 2020-21 crop it has 33,340 ha under the crop.

Tay Ninh has 65 factories that process cassava starch with a total annual capacity of 6.4 million tonnes of tubers.

In Gia Lai province, fresh cassava has fetched high prices this year. The Gia Lai Tapioca Starch Factory, for instance, buys from farmers at VND3,100 per kilogramme, VND1,000 higher than a year ago.

Cassava is one of the main crops in Gia Lai, with 13,000 ha under it, mainly in the east and south-east.

Quang Ngai province has more than 16,000 ha under cassava and produced more than 311,000 tonnes last year, according to its Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection.