Peach blossom growers in Kim Thanh (Yen Thanh) have a big hit on Tet holiday

On the occasion of Tet, we visited the peach blossom growing village in Kim Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district. Along the low hillsides are vast peach blossom forests in full bloom, and cars from all over have poured into the gardens to transport peach blossoms.

Mr. Nguyen Van Son, a resident of Dong Ban hamlet, Kim Thanh commune, who has been growing peach blossoms for decades, said: Currently, his family's peach garden has about 1,000 trees, of which nearly 700 will be sold this year. Most peach gardens are grown and sold in a rolling manner; after each Tet season, the peach trees that have been sold will be replaced with a new batch of trees to prepare for the following seasons.

Every year, near the Lunar New Year, traders often come to the garden to buy peaches, or families themselves transport peaches to the markets to sell to customers. This year, peaches are priced well, with beautiful trees selling for 1-2 million VND, and small trees for 500,000-800,000 VND. From the 20th to the 26th of the lunar calendar, the peach garden has sold over 500 peach trees, with an expected revenue of over 350 million VND.

According to Mr. Son, it usually takes about 2-3 years for a peach tree to grow from seedling to sale. To have beautiful peach trees, growers must take meticulous care of the trees and know the techniques to create a shape that meets customer needs, especially in harsh weather conditions.

Peach trees are easily affected by frost and cold, so people must closely monitor the weather to take timely measures to prevent and combat the cold. Peach trees depend greatly on the weather, so peach growers must always watch for the right time to strip the leaves. If the weather is cold, peach growers must strip the leaves earlier, and if the weather is sunny, they will strip the leaves later in order to make the peaches bloom right on the occasion of Tet.

Mr. Chu Van Le in Dong Ban hamlet is digging peach trees for customers and said: His family has over 800 peach trees. So far, traders have bought nearly 600 beautiful peach trees. Then they bring cars to transport them to Vinh and Thanh Hoa to sell. This year, the revenue is estimated to reach over 200 million VND.

In addition to selling peach trees, some households in Kim Thanh commune also provide the service of renting whole peach trees. The rental price varies depending on the shape of the tree, averaging from 3 - 5 million VND/tree.

After the peach harvest, farmers graft some peach trees to prepare for next year.

Mr. Phan Tat Mau - Chairman of Kim Thanh Commune People's Committee said that the profession of growing peach blossoms for Tet in Kim Thanh Commune has existed for decades and has now become a traditional profession of the locality. The whole commune currently has over 200 households investing in growing peach blossoms, with a total area of ​​nearly 26 hectares. Many households have boldly switched from growing other crops such as acacia, cassava, or taking advantage of their garden land to renovate and grow peach blossoms, contributing to increasing income.

This year, peach blossoms have a good price. Up to now, the whole commune has sold over 70% of the area, expected to bring in over 3.5 billion VND in revenue. Many households in Kim Thanh commune have an income of 200-300 million VND per peach blossom season, contributing to improving their lives and getting rich right in the locality.