Thousand-petal lotus price drops by half

Once a fever with a price of 400,000 VND per bunch (10 flowers), thousand-petal lotus is now only 50,000-70,000 VND, half of last year.

Early June is lotus season. In every alley of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, many vehicles carrying white and pink lotus flowers appear. On online markets and social networks, lotus flowers are also being advertised for sale. Among them, the type of lotus that once caused a fever - the 1,000-petal lotus with eye-catching colors - is currently priced at half of last year's price, equal to 1/6 of the price in 2019 - the first year it appeared on the market.

According to a survey at establishments, this type of super-petal lotus is commonly sold at 50,000-70,000 VND for a bunch of 10 flowers (5,000-7,000 VND per flower depending on size). In addition to the 1,000-petal lotus, the pink lotus, Quan Am, Anh Duong, and Cung Dinh lotus also have common prices from 30,000-80,000 VND for a bunch of 10 flowers, down 30% compared to the same period last year.

"Thousand-petal lotus" was bought by a customer for display. Photo: Thanh Hien

Ms. Loan, owner of an online flower shop in Hanoi, said that this year, the price of 1,000-petal lotus flowers is at a record low. Four days ago, she sold them for 60,000 VND for a bunch of 10 large flowers, and 3,000 VND for small flowers. Customers must buy from 100 flowers.

"In 2019, to buy 5 thousand-petal lotus flowers, I had to search for suppliers at a price of 200,000 VND. This year, the supply is many times more abundant, there are products to sell to customers every day," said Ms. Loan.

Similarly, Ms. Thanh Hien, a flower seller in Long Bien (Hanoi), also said that lotus flowers are in season, so in recent days she has been continuously selling at a discount, only 120,000 VND for a bunch of 20 thousand-petal lotus flowers. For white lotus and pink lotus, the price is 100,000 VND for a bunch of 20 flowers.

"The price of lotus has never been as cheap as it is now. Last year it cooled down but was still 300,000 VND for a bunch of 20 flowers. This year the supply is abundant and the price is cheap, but sometimes I still have to sell lotus with other types of flowers," said Ms. Hien.

In Ho Chi Minh City, thousand-petal lotus costs 80,000-120,000 VND for a bunch of 10 flowers. White and pink lotuses cost 60,000-70,000 VND, down 30% compared to last year.

Lotus flowers are wrapped into bundles of 10 flowers to sell to customers. Photo: Thanh Hien

According to pond owners and traders, the reason for the sharp drop in lotus prices is that this year there is an abundant supply, and farmers are expanding their acreage. In particular, the 1,000-petal lotus variety is popular, so many ponds have doubled their acreage compared to the same period last year, causing flower prices to plummet.

In addition, this year flower growers also supply the market with large quantities, many varieties, and cheap prices, so they are competitive.

According to the Center for Research and Development of Flowers and Ornamental Plants, the total area of ​​lotus cultivation in the country is estimated at over 3,000 hectares, concentrated in some provinces: Hung Yen, Hai Duong, Thai Binh, Nghe An, Nam Dinh, Hue, Hanoi and the Mekong Delta such as Dong Thap, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Long An, Ben Tre. 10 years ago, lotus was mostly used for seeds, tubers, and stamens. However, in the past 5 years, the trend of arranging lotus and worshiping Buddha has flourished, so lotus flowers have received attention.

In addition to traditional lotus varieties with only 10-30 petals, in 2019, a type of lotus grown in pots with giant flowers, with up to 1,000 petals, appeared on the market. This type quickly became popular and was propagated by many households, selling for 400,000 VND per bunch of 10 flowers, 6 times more expensive than normal lotus depending on the type. Now they are widely propagated, the price has dropped sharply.

The thousand-petal lotus is a foreign lotus variety, also known as Super Lotus. The red-pink or white lotus flower usually has from 800 to 1,000 petals. On the outside, the petals are large, and the petals gradually become smaller and denser as you move inside. The thousand-petal lotus flower is almost as big as a hand and lasts longer than other lotus species.

Hong Chau

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