Prices increased 5-7 times, but bananas for Tet offerings still attract customers

At this time, each bunch of bananas for offering costs from 120,000 to 350,000 VND, 5-7 times more expensive than usual. Photo: Thanh Phuc

To have bananas to serve people during Tet, from the beginning of December, Mr. Nguyen Van Ha (Thanh Duc commune, Thanh Chuong district) and some brothers went to Hung Yen to deposit beautiful banana gardens. After the Tet Ong Cong and Ong Tao, they drove out to cut and transport them to Vinh.

On the morning of December 25, 300 bunches of bananas were transported to Vinh and delivered to selling points on Dinh Le and Tue Tinh streets (Hung Dung ward). Mr. Ha said: “This year, banana warehouses in Hung Yen, Ha Nam, and Quang Binh are all in short supply. The reason is that the weather is unfavorable, with a lot of rain, and the bananas bloom later than usual, so they are not ready for Tet. Therefore, the price of bananas has also increased by 20-30% compared to previous years.”

A banana offering shop on Tue Tinh Street (Vinh City). Photo: Thanh Phuc

According to Mr. Ha, the price of each bunch of bananas ranges from 100,000 to 200,000 VND. The most expensive are the odd bunches of bananas, with beards, even and beautiful fruits, which cost up to 250,000 to 300,000 VND. Because according to folk beliefs, a bunch of bananas with an odd number of fruits symbolizes fertility and luck. On the other hand, the number of odd bunches of bananas in a bunch of bananas is not much, so odd bananas are rarer and more expensive.

With decades of experience in selling bananas for offerings, Mr. Nguyen Van Quyet (Hong Yen village, Quynh Hong commune, Quynh Luu) said: "This year's bananas are not as beautiful but the price is more expensive than last year. Banana prices also follow "segments". Hung Yen honey moldy bananas with bright color, large, even fruit retail from 120,000-300,000 VND/bunch; Dai Hoang royal bananas (Ha Nam) cost 100,000-150,000 VND/bunch; Quang Binh bananas cost 80,000-100,000 VND/bunch; Quy Hop bananas, Nghia Dan range from 70,000-110,000 VND/bunch.

Mr. Nguyen Van Quyet (Hong Yen village, Quynh Hong commune, Quynh Luu) said that during the peak 7 days of Tet (from December 23 to 29), he supplied the market with tens of thousands of banana bunches. Photo: Thanh Phuc

In addition, the price of each bunch of bananas also depends on the color, size of the fruit, odd/even number of fruits, whether the bananas still have their whiskers or not, and whether they are "deformed" or not. In the past 3 days, I have sold about 10,000 bunches of bananas both wholesale and retail. In the coming days, demand will increase, so the price of bananas will definitely not decrease."

Although banana prices are quite "expensive", according to records at traditional markets, people still jostle to buy bananas. As an indispensable item on the family altar, bananas increase in price sharply during Tet but are still in high demand and in short supply. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thinh, a customer, said: "Banana prices are 5-7 times more expensive than usual, but it is very difficult to find a satisfactory bunch of bananas."

Despite the high price, people still jostle to buy bananas. Photo: Thanh Phuc