Planting what was believed to be first-class pumpkin seeds originating from China, a number of farmers in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak have failed to yield any bonanza but, instead, an extremely poor crop.

Le Mai, a farmer in Krong Bong District, sank nearly VND10 million (US$481) into his 1,800-square-meter crop of pumpkin, only to dump most of the vegetables after harvest because “they were too small to be sold,” he said.

“The crop only yielded 200 kilograms of pumpkin,” Mai said of the poor productivity of the Chinese seeds, which were said to be of high quality and productivity.

Similarly, Le Minh Hieu, another pumpkin farmer, said he could harvest only 37kg from the 3,200-square-meter field he planted using these very seeds.

“And they were sold for only VND90,000 ($4.33),” Hieu said bitterly.

The seeds produced normal flowers, but most of the pumpkins quickly became rotten,” said Bui Phuoc Binh, deputy chairman of the local farmer association.

There are some 45 hectares of crops growing the Chinese pumpkins in Krong Bong District, according to the local plant protection agency.

The Chinese seeds were used under a joint program between the Hai Duong-based Vietnam Agriculture Development and Investment JSC and local farmers in Krong Bong and Ea Kar districts, which was launched last year, said Vuong Hong Tan, deputy chairman of the Cu Puor Cooperative, which closed the contract with the company.

Under the deal, the cooperative and the company would provide seeds and fertilizer and assign technical officials to help farmers, Tan said.

“We agreed to cooperate thinking that it would be a good model for the farmers, but did not know things would end up like this,” he added.

Who’s to blame?

The Krong Bong plant protection agency said tests found that the seeds are “Chinese first-class” and are stored in plastic bags bearing labels entirely in Chinese without any instruction in English or Vietnamese.

“There is no information about the seed manufacturer or origin either,” an agency representative said.

A representative from the Ea Kar agriculture office said neither Cu Puor Cooperative nor the company have reported to his institution about the Chinese seeds growing in the locality.

However, Pham Duy Cach, director of the Vietnam Agriculture Development and Investment JSC, said the company has ordered the cooperative to report to local authorities about their program.

“We also have all necessary papers for the seeds, and are willing to show them when requested,” he asserted.

Meanwhile, Tan of the cooperative said he has repeatedly asked the company to supply the papers since the program was launched, but has yet to receive anything.

“The seed supplier should be held responsible for this poor productivity,” he added.