Lost lotus season, difficult to reproduce

Flooded for a long time due to the impact of unusual rains and floods in mid-June 2025, about 30 hectares of lotus that were ready to be harvested by farmers in Trieu Co commune were almost completely lost. Unlike rice, which can be replanted immediately, lotus depends heavily on the weather; lack of seeds, high investment costs, so farmers cannot reproduce. Many areas had to be left fallow and wait until next year to replant.

Lotus farmers in Trieu Co commune suffered heavy losses due to "mid-summer floods" - Photo: D.V

Almost harvest then lost everything

Trieu Co commune (including the old Trieu Son commune) is the oldest lotus growing area and has the largest area in Trieu Phong district in the past. About 30 hectares of lotus were ready for harvest but were completely lost due to flooding for 7-10 days. The most severe damage was in Phuong An village with nearly 21 hectares.

Following the Deputy Director of Trieu Son Lotus Agricultural Cooperative, Le Van Hao, we waded out into the lotus field, which now had only dried and withered bushes left. Under the blazing summer sun, Mr. Hao said that the "mid-summer flood" in June caused many rice and lotus fields in the area to be flooded for a long time. This lotus crop is planted from February to June of the solar calendar and is ready for harvest.

“Lotus plants bring high economic value, an average of about 150 million VND/ha, many times higher than rice cultivation. Therefore, when losing everything, people feel very regretful. During the heavy rains, lotus plants have begun to yield, some households have already harvested a little. When the water recedes, most of the lotus plants have been completely rotten from root to tip, and young plants cannot grow,” said Mr. Hao.

Mr. Le Dinh An, in Dong Van village, Trieu Co commune, has 3 hectares of lotus completely rotted due to flooding. Holding the crispy lotus plants, he sadly said: “My family has spent more than 50 million VND on seeds, fertilizers and land rent for the above area. If it weren’t for the recent unseasonal flood, our family would have had a decent income. In the past few years, lotus has had a good harvest, good prices and stable output. Now we have lost everything, we are very sorry.”

In the same situation, the lotus ponds of Mr. Tran Ngoc Thao's family in Phuong An village are also in ruins. Having grown lotus for 20 years, Mr. Thao's family had a stable income to cover their living expenses and send their children to school. But the recent large, unseasonal flood completely destroyed the family's 1 hectare of lotus. "The flood rose quickly, and all the lotus in the pond were submerged for about 10 days. When the water receded, the plants wilted, the flower calyxes rotted, and there was no way to salvage them," said Mr. Thao.

Hope to get support for reproduction costs

Most lotus growers in Trieu Co commune have lost tens to hundreds of millions of dong in production costs. Therefore, they face many difficulties when entering the new crop, having to reinvest in all the seedlings, fertilizers and land rent.

“As for the seeds, most of them have rotted and cannot be used, so we have to buy new ones. The initial investment cost for each hectare of lotus cultivation is from 20 to 30 million VND, not including labor. For farmers, production capital usually rotates every year, so losing a crop like this makes it very difficult for us. I hope the State will pay attention to supporting some of the costs for reproduction,” Mr. Thao expressed.

Deputy Director of Trieu Son Lotus Agricultural Cooperative Le Van Hao added that not only did it cause difficulties for households directly cultivating the crop, but the loss of the entire lotus crop also caused the cooperative to lack input materials to produce and process products, such as: lotus tea, lotus seed milk, lotus cereal powder, raw lotus materials... "The cooperative consumes most of the lotus from local households, but this year the crop failed, so production is difficult," said Mr. Hao.

Faced with that situation, lotus growers hope that higher-level departments and branches will pay attention and promptly have support policies to partially offset the costs of lotus seeds and fertilizers to restore production and reduce difficulties and pressure for farmers.

German Vietnamese

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/mat-trang-mua-sen-kho-khan-tai-san-xuat-196142.htm