Slow purchasing power, Huong Son deer antlers fall in price

After Tet is the time when deer antlers enter harvest season. Unlike the usual excitement, this year deer breeders in Huong Son ( Ha Tinh ) are quite worried when purchasing power decreases, causing antlers to fall in price.

The current price of Huong Son deer velvet fluctuates at 9-10 million VND/kg.

At this time last year, the price of deer antlers fluctuated between 11-12 million VND/kg, at times reaching up to 13 million VND/kg. However, this year, especially after Tet, the price of deer antlers is only about 9-10 million VND/kg. Even for pairs of deer antlers with unattractive designs, breeders have proactively reduced the price to 8-8.5 million VND/kg but it is still difficult to sell.

According to research, Huong Son deer antlers are mainly consumed through three channels: people buy them themselves, traders buy according to orders, and facilities that process antlers. This year, the number of direct and indirect customers has decreased. In addition, deer antlers are also sluggish, so production facilities are buying sparingly. With reduced purchasing power and concerns about not being able to sell, deer farmers have also proactively lowered prices.

Slow purchasing power, Huong Son deer antlers fall in price

The decrease in deer antler prices makes Mr. Thinh "less happy" than in previous "antler picking" seasons.

Mr. Ho Huy Thinh (Phuong Hoang village, Son Ham commune) shared: "This year, my family has 4 deer for antlers. Thanks to careful care, the antlers are of good quality, beautiful in appearance, each pair weighs from 0.8-1.2 kg. I have worked hard to take care of the deer all year long, hoping that after Tet I will be able to "pick" the antlers at a high price, but this year, the antlers have decreased in price, so I am very sad. I hope that in the coming days, the deer antlers market will be bustling again."

Slow purchasing power, Huong Son deer antlers fall in price

This year, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Ly's family (village 9, Son Hong commune) has 20 male deer for velvet.

Given the current market situation, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Ly (village 9, Son Hong commune) is extremely worried as this year he has 20 male deer for antlers. So far, his family has sold 10 pairs, and another 10 pairs are ready to be harvested.

Mr. Ly shared: “This year, the deer antlers are in season, the weight ranges from 0.8-1kg/pair, some deer even gave a pair of antlers weighing 1.3kg. However, because the deer antlers market is quite quiet, the family is worried that it will be harder to sell in the future, the antlers will be too old, so we have to cut them off and sell them in advance. The remaining 10 pairs of antlers are also about to be cut off, hopefully, the antlers price will gradually increase again so that we can have a more exciting antlers season.”

As a person who specializes in purchasing deer antlers, Ms. Le Thi Huyen Trang (Dai Vuong village, Son Phu commune) said: “In previous years, the number of customers inside and outside the province contacting to order antlers was very large, but this year, the market is quite quiet, so I am also purchasing sparingly. Currently, I am freezing and only selling when customers ask. In addition, to sell antlers and attract new customers, I often livestream and promote products on social networking platforms. Hopefully, in the coming time, the price of deer antlers will gradually increase, and the market will soon become vibrant again.”

Slow purchasing power, Huong Son deer antlers fall in price

Ms. Trang hopes the deer antler market will soon become vibrant again.

The entire Huong Son district currently has a herd of more than 44,500 deer, of which over 25,000 have produced antlers. Up to this point, the consumption has only reached about 50%. Head of the district's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Quang Hoa said: "In the coming time, the locality will focus more on mobilizing people and traders to increase promotion through social networks and e-commerce platforms so that Huong Son deer antlers can reach more customers. Hopefully, the price of deer antlers will soon increase again, helping deer farmers feel secure in sticking with the profession."

Thuy Anh

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