The largest Tet flower village in Ho Chi Minh City is "distorted" by the weather

TPO - Due to unfavorable weather conditions, some garden owners in Thoi An flower village (District 12) have proactively reduced production this year, worried about the unpredictable weather patterns as the year draws to a close.

07/12/2024 | 06:18

TPO - Due to unfavorable weather conditions, some garden owners in Thoi An flower village (District 12) have proactively reduced production this year, worried about the unpredictable weather patterns as the year draws to a close.

Thoi An flower village (District 12) is one of the flower gardens that supplies a large quantity of flowers to the market during Tet (Lunar New Year).

These days, Thoi An flower village (District 12, Ho Chi Minh City) is busier than ever. At this time, almost all garden owners have begun the process of caring for their flowers for the upcoming Tet holiday in 2025.

This year, the erratic weather, with intense heat and heavy rains, has significantly increased the cost of care and maintenance.

"The weather this December has been rainy all the time, and we don't know what will happen during the flowering season. Although there are remedial measures, it depends on the experience of each garden owner. However, the investment will increase threefold compared to previous years. And that means profits will decrease significantly," shared Mr. Le Phuoc Lam, a flower garden owner in Thoi An ward.

Mr. Lam said that the total flower production of the garden is currently around 30,000 pots, although the number has decreased by more than 10,000 pots compared to last year.

The main reasons stem from the fact that last year's Tet flower season saw an oversupply, the difficult economic situation leading many people to reduce their purchases, and the unpredictable weather, which consequently reduced the number of flowers planted by Mr. Lam's garden.

Unstable prices and uncertain output make it difficult for flower growers to predict prices at this time. "Like every year, the average price of chrysanthemums at the market is from 100,000 to 150,000 VND, but during the Year of the Dragon (2014), the price was only 70,000 to 80,000 VND," Mr. Lam added.

While not as large-scale as the flower farms in the Mekong Delta and Central Vietnam, the flower villages in Thoi An ward are still bustling with people tending and harvesting flowers to supply the market during the Lunar New Year.

From now until Tet (Lunar New Year), work at the flower village is hectic, from 6 am to 11 pm. Sometimes, when it rains heavily and the flowers don't set, the workers have to work overtime.

Not far from Mr. Lam's garden is the household of Ms. Trinh Thi Kim Lan, who also reduced her crop yield this year.

Ms. Lan said that she has only planted about 7,000 pots of Tet flowers so far, a decrease of about 1,000 pots compared to last year's season.

"The demand for Tet flowers has been decreasing year after year. Compared to previous years, the number of pots I planted reached tens of thousands. Not to mention, the heavy rains in the middle of the year washed away the seeds and fertilizer, forcing me to discard many seedlings. I'm very worried, but I have to do it," Mrs. Lan shared.

Currently, six workers are diligently working in Ms. Lan's garden. Each worker is responsible for a specific task, such as tilling the soil, weeding, watering plants, fertilizing, and removing excess leaves from the trees.

To prepare for the Lunar New Year, Mrs. Lan planted flower seedlings in her garden 4-6 months ago. Now, the seedlings have grown tall, been potted, and she has begun the days of tending to them.

Ms. Lan further shared that in previous years, Tet flowers were very popular, with traders coming directly to the garden to place deposits, sometimes even competing to buy them. However, last year was completely the opposite; her customers disappeared, and only two people came to buy flowers. Ms. Lan had to find places to sell the remaining flowers herself throughout Ho Chi Minh City or bring them back to the garden to cut and discard them.

Flower growers for Tet (Lunar New Year) all hope for favorable weather in the final months of the year, ensuring flowers bloom in time for Tet, high yields, and a more stable economic situation so that people and growers can celebrate Tet more joyfully.

Duy Anh

Source: https://tienphong.vn/lang-hoa-tet-lon-nhat-tphcm-meo-mat-vi-thoi-tiet-post1697871.tpo