Mr. Duoc is worried because there are still 1,300 pots of chrysanthemums that have not been bought yet - Photo: TRAN MAI
According to flower growers, despite the unfavorable weather and continuous rain, chrysanthemums still bloom right on Tet, while marigolds are considered a total loss.
Lack of buyers, Tet flower growers worried
In early December, along the chrysanthemum growing fields for Tet in Song Ve (Tu Nghia and Mo Duc districts, Quang Ngai province), buds began to appear. Garden owners took advantage of the opportunity to hire people to pick buds and spray chemicals to nourish the flowers and leaves.
Flower growers are busy taking care of the most beautiful chrysanthemum pots for Tet. But the strange thing is that very few traders come to buy the flowers.
Faced with the unusually quiet scene, many garden owners have hung up “chrysanthemums for sale” signs with phone numbers along inter-commune roads.
Ms. Le (Nghia Hiep commune, Tu Nghia district, Quang Ngai) picked buds and shook her head in disappointment: "At this time in previous years, traders had already placed deposits, but this year no one came to ask."
Although the cost of flower growing materials has increased compared to previous years, the price of chrysanthemums remains "stuck in place".
The price of chrysanthemums currently sold by people in the garden depends on the size of the pot (from 50cm - 1m) ranging from 130,000 VND to 1.3 million VND/pot.
Nghia Hiep Commune has 500 flower growers on an area of about 30 hectares. Currently, there are about 250,000 pots of chrysanthemums ready for Tet. According to local government statistics, only about 50% of chrysanthemums are reserved and purchased by traders.
Ms. Phuong planted 600 pots of chrysanthemums, but has only sold 30 pots so far - Photo: TRAN MAI
Mr. Dinh Trinh Duoc (Duc Nhuan commune, Mo Duc district, Quang Ngai) sighed when out of 2,500 chrysanthemum pots, only 1,200 pots were sold, the rest were facing difficulties.
“The flowers I sold were thanks to old customers, no one came to the garden to see the flowers. I don’t understand why this year is so slow,” Mr. Duoc said. Not only that, the unfavorable weather caused the family’s 200 pots of marigolds to be considered a total loss as they have not yet budded.
Ms. Phuong, who grows chrysanthemums, said: “Every year, this area is crowded with people buying flowers, like on the 30th of Tet, but this year there are only a few people. This morning, someone came to ask, I agreed to their wishes, but they lingered and then left.”
The market is gloomy, purchasing power is down, many flower growers hang signs and phone numbers waiting for traders - Photo: TRAN MAI
Two traders came to see flowers in Mrs. Phuong's garden, after discussing, they continued to "walk around" without making a deposit - Photo: TRAN MAI
Traders are cautious, afraid of Tet flower purchasing power and weather
Mr. Dinh Truong Giang, a trader from Quang Nam, came to Quang Ngai to see the flowers. After going around everywhere, the couple stood there in contemplation. Although the flower growers promised that the flowers would bloom in time for Tet, Mr. Giang was still worried. "It is forecasted that tomorrow the rain will continue until the end of the month. I am afraid that the flowers will not bloom in time. If I put down a deposit to buy them and can't sell them, I will lose money," said Mr. Giang.
Meanwhile, some other traders are worried that the "purchasing power" of Tet flowers will decrease. Mr. Tue (Binh Dinh) with 15 years of experience buying chrysanthemums in Quang Ngai to bring to Binh Dinh and Gia Lai to sell during Tet expressed his caution: "I have a habit of going to Quang Ngai to see the flowers at this time, but honestly I don't dare to buy. The economy is difficult, I'm afraid I won't be able to sell well. Last year was better, but I stayed up all night, sold until New Year's Eve and only made a few dong in profit."
Despite the unfavorable weather, flower growers take meticulous care, trying to make the flowers bloom in time for Tet - Photo: TRAN MAI
Mr. Nguyen Van Tuyen, Chairman of Nghia Hiep Commune People's Committee, said that although Nghia Hiep chrysanthemums are OCOP certified, most people grow them according to traditional experience, without clear direction, making it difficult to access the market.
Therefore, Tet flower production is still a “lucky” affair. Sales depend entirely on traders. If there are no buyers, people are in hot water. Local authorities hope to have a specialized agency to promote and increase the output of the largest chrysanthemum orchard in the Central region.
"Only then can the traditional Tet flower growing profession here be sustainable," said Mr. Tuyen.
Hundreds of thousands of chrysanthemum pots are waiting for buyers – Photo: TRAN MAI
'Excited' about Tet fruits
Comment (0)