Rising costs worry farmers in the Mekong Delta who grow flowers for Tet.

With just over a month until the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Snake, many gardeners in Kien Giang and An Giang provinces are busy tending to their Tet flowers, preparing for a spectacular spring flower season, but along with that come worries.

People in Giong Rieng district, Kien Giang province, are urgently planting flowers to serve the Tet holiday of the Year of the Snake 2025 - Photo: HOA ANH

Flower growers worried about rising costs during Tet (Lunar New Year).

On December 20th, Tuoi Tre Online observed that the atmosphere of work on the roads in Giong Rieng district, Kien Giang province, was busier and more bustling than ever.

Visiting here these days, you can clearly feel the bustling atmosphere as preparations are underway for the most important flower planting season of the year.

With nearly 10 years of experience growing flowers for Tet (Lunar New Year), the family of Mr. Bui Van Sieng (residing in Ngoc Chuc commune, Giong Rieng district) cultivates 4,500 pots of marigolds. These flowers take approximately 70-80 days from sowing the seeds to blooming.

To grow marigolds successfully, growers need to diligently care for and fertilize the plants so that they grow well, resulting in large, uniform, beautiful flowers with vibrant colors. Seedlings are transplanted into rows or pots after about 10 days of germination.

After about 30 days, the plant needs to have its top pinched off to encourage new shoots. Continue watering and fertilizing to ensure healthy growth. Each marigold plant typically has 10-13 flowers.

"In flower cultivation, selecting the right variety and watering the plants are crucial. The care stage, to ensure the flower buds develop, requires meticulous attention. If there is a lot of sunshine, additional watering is needed at midday. Every week, growers must fertilize and apply nutrients to ensure the flowers bloom in time for Tet," Mr. Sieng said.

An Thanh flower village in Cho Moi district, An Giang province, the most famous in the province, has received preferential loans totaling over 700 million VND - Photo: MINH KHANG

In some districts such as An Bien and Tan Hiep in Kien Giang province, many flower growers this year are mainly focusing on growing marigolds for Tet (Lunar New Year), while chrysanthemum cultivation has decreased. Due to unpredictable weather, chrysanthemums have become a difficult flower to grow.

Only highly skilled flower growers dare to invest in cultivating this type of flower. Because even a small mistake can cause the flowers to bloom at the wrong time for Tet, leading to a complete loss.

To prepare for this year's Tet flower season, Mr. Le Van Binh, residing in Tan Thanh commune, Tan Hiep district, planted 1,000 pots of marigolds. However, because the weather is colder than last year, he fears that chrysanthemums will not bloom in time for Tet, so he only planted marigolds.

"Flower prices may not increase this year, remaining at 20,000 VND for small pots and 40,000 VND for large pots. Meanwhile, the prices of fertilizers, compost, and seeds have risen, driving up production costs. I expect to make less profit this year than last year," said Mr. Binh.

This year, farmers in An Thanh flower village, Cho Moi district, An Giang province, are growing many varieties of chrysanthemums to supply the Tet flower market - Photo: MINH KHANG

Low-interest rate support for farmers

Meanwhile, Ms. Dang Thi Kieu Tien, chairwoman of the Farmers' Association of Hoa An commune, Cho Moi district, An Giang province, said that farmers in An Thanh flower village (the largest flower village in the An Giang delta region) are focusing on growing flowers to serve the Tet holiday of 2025 with many distinct varieties.

The An Thanh flower village currently has nearly 11 hectares of flower cultivation, a decrease of 2 hectares. This is due to farmers switching to growing other crops, mainly gerberas and chrysanthemums.

"The association has facilitated loans for flower growers from the 'Growing and Caring for Ornamental Flowers' project. This funding comes from the 'Farmers' Support Fund' program, totaling over 700 million VND. Each household can borrow 40-50 million VND, depending on the area of ​​flower cultivation, for a period of 18 months, with low interest rates to help farmers grow flowers for Tet this year," said Ms. Kieu Tien.

According to Ms. Tien, this year, farmers in An Thanh flower village are growing a lot of colored chrysanthemums. They have just finished planting the seeds.

"However, unfavorable weather conditions have caused difficulties for flower growers. In particular, they have reported a slight increase in the cost of purchasing flower seeds compared to the same period last year. Therefore, the cost of growing flowers for Tet this year will be higher than last year," Ms. Tien said.

Mr. Bui Van Sieng waters the flowers - Photo: HOA ANH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/chi-phi-tang-nong-dan-mien-tay-trong-hoa-tet-lo-lang-20241220155952666.htm