Lunar New Year cheer for flower farmers

With the Lunar New Year just a week away, flower farmers are busy but happy as most of their flowers have been ordered...

With the Lunar New Year just a week away, flower farmers are busy but happy as most of their flowers have been ordered.

Profitable crop of Chrysanthemum grandiflorum

Walking along the roads running through Ninh Giang Flower Village (Ninh Giang Ward, Ninh Hoa Town) these days, we can see many people hurriedly removing dead leaves and uploading pots of flowers to get ready for the delivery. Most flowers are in full blossom and few still in buds.

Nearly a month ago, 80% of over 300 flower pots of Tran Trung Tam, Residential Quarter 2, Ninh Giang were ordered at VND400,000/ pot. Since then, his daily work has been taking care of the flowers for more beautiful blossoms and waiting for the delivery. "Last year, due to Covid-19, I planted only 100 pots of flowers. This year, as life has returned to normal, I take a loan to plant 300 pots of daisy and 4,000 others of marigolds most of which have been sold out, giving me a profit of VND100,000/ pot of daisy. 2/3 of marigolds have been sold out, giving a profit of VND10,000-15,000/ pot," he said.

Daisy growers enjoy the same happiness for a good crop. In spite of higher cost of fertilizer and seedlings than last year, most of the flowers have been ordered and paid 50% in advance, helping flower growers have enough money for the New Year shopping.

According to Phan Sang, Chairperson of Ninh Giang Ward Farmers’ Association, there are 100 daisy–growing families with 45,000 pots in the ward this year. Many of them have been sold out and transported to Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Hue, Da Nang, etc. Flower growing is profitable this year. Especially, daisies seem to be selling well.

Farmers in Da Dua Flower Village, Dien Thanh, Dien Khanh District are also very busy with their crop of flowers growing to the height of a human. Daisy growers in neighboring communities of Dien Lac, Dien Phuoc, Dien Tho, etc. are busy with trade of flowers during the last days of the year. Nguyen Khac Nam, Truong Lac Village, Dien Lac is very happy that all of his 300 pots of daisy have been sold out, earning VND100,000 – 120,000/ pot.

Variety of flowers

Besides daisies, there are a variety of ornamental flowers grown in the communes of Dien Son, Dien Lac and Dien An (Dien Khanh District). Nguyen Thanh Son, Dien Son hired a land on Vo Nguyen Giap Street, Dien An to plant flowers. Different from previous years, his garden is full of different kinds of flowers, namely woolflowers, African daisy, colorful chilies, carnation, Petunia hybrida, sunflowers, etc. To meet this year's demand, his family grows some mini plants for tables or hanging ones. They are believed to sell well as they are quite cheap.

Under rain, 3 farmers at Do Van Loc’s garden in Nam 2 Village, Dien Son were busy removing dead leaves to get ready in time for the delivery of 13,000 pots of marigolds and daisies. “This year, my family planted only 200 pots of daisy, down by 100 pots compared with last year; 10,000 pots of marigolds and 100 pots of Camellia amplexicaulis.  90% of the flowers have been sold out,” he said.

According to gardeners in Dien Khanh, compared to last year, the price of fertilizers and bamboo sticks for seedlings has increased by 10-30%, driving up the cost of flower pots by about 10-20%. Gardeners earn around 30% /flower pot.

Trading in marigolds for nearly 10 years, Trinh Minh Cong, Nha Trang City, has ordered 800 pots and needs 12,000 pots more. This week, he has come to some other gardens in Dien Son and Dien An but flowers have been sold out. “Besides traditional New Year flowers such as daisy, apricot and Ochna integerrima, small pots of other colorful flowers seem to be selling well this year,” he said.

Colorful flowers are coming to town for the festive season with Lunar New Year is cheering for flower farmers.

D.L
Translated by N.T