Fearing 'output bottlenecks', Nghe An farmers reduce Tet flower acreage

There has been a tradition of growing lilies for Tet for many years, but this flower season, fearing no output, most farmers in Nghi Long (Nghi Loc) do not dare to plant this type of flower. Photo: Thanh Phuc

In previous years, Mr. Tran Quoc Hung's family (Kim Nghia hamlet, Nghi Long commune, Nghi Loc district) used 1,000 square meters of greenhouse to grow lilies and chrysanthemums to serveLunar New YearThis year, he decided to only plant 1 sao of chrysanthemums without planting lilies. Mr. Tran Quoc Hung said: “This year, due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, all agricultural products are sluggish, and flower products have even more difficulty finding a market because they are not on the list of “essential” products that must be purchased. Therefore, this year, the family decided to only plant 1 sao of chrysanthemums to serve the Lunar New Year market.”

On average, for 1 sao of lily, people have to spend about 85 million VND, the initial investment capital is high, so if there is no output, people will suffer quite a large loss. Photo: Thanh Phuc

For many years, farmers in Nghi Long commune have grown various types ofChrysanthemums and lilies supply the market during Tet.According to statistics, the whole commune has about 10 households growing flowers on an area of ​​1 hectare, mainly concentrated in Kim Nghia hamlet. In addition to growing chrysanthemums such as: large chrysanthemums, jade chrysanthemums, ruby ​​chrysanthemums, etc., local people also grow lilies in greenhouses for high income. However, this year, anticipating a difficult consumption market due to the impact of the epidemic, up to now, flower growers are still cautious when planting.

Ms. Vo Thi Van, an agricultural officer of Nghi Long commune, said: “This year, according to the registered varieties, the area for growing Tet flowers has decreased sharply, only about 5,000m2 (down half compared to last year). Notably, no household has registered to grow lilies.”

Unfavorable weather conditions, increased prices of seedlings and fertilizers have made growers quite cautious when investing in the Tet flower crop. Photo: Thanh Phuc

According to Ms. Van's analysis, the reason why people do not dare to plant lilies is because of the high investment cost, 1 sao costs about 85 million, this type of flower is also "picky" about buyers, so if it cannot be sold, it will be a big loss. Compared to lilies, the cost of 1 sao of chrysanthemum is less, only about 7-8 million VND, this type of flower is mainly used for burning incense, decorating altars, so it is also easier to sell, or if it is not sold out during Tet, there is still "a room" to sell in the first and second quarters to people going to the temple, pagoda or on the 15th day of the first lunar month.

Currently, in flower growing areas in the province such as Nghi Loc, Nam Dan, Dien Chau, Yen Thanh, Vinh City... people only dare to plant a small area. The rest are being monitored, depending on the epidemic situation, then considering planting flowers or vegetables. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Unlike the urgent and busy atmosphere of the Tet flower season in previous years, this year, flower growers in Nghi An (Vinh City) are hesitant to plant. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa, a resident in Kim Chi hamlet (Nghi An commune) said: "If in previous years, at this time, 3 sao of chrysanthemums have begun to take root, this year, I plan to plant only 1 sao because I don't know if I can sell them during Tet with this complicated epidemic. I am considering planting vegetables or planting chrysanthemums late for the full moon instead of doing it all at once."

Tet flower seasonThis year, most flower growers are worried that the consumption market will decrease sharply due to the impact of the epidemic. This is completely reasonable when Tet last year and most recently, flower growing areas in Hanoi, Son La, Binh Dinh, Lam Dong ... had to uproot flowers to grow vegetables because the flowers were unsold and had no output.

Many areas of greenhouses that were previously used to grow flowers have now been replaced with cucumbers. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Mr. Tran Ngoc Quyet, a garden owner specializing in supplying flower varieties of all kinds in Trung My hamlet, Hung Dong commune (Vinh city) said: “In nearly 10 years of supplying Tet flower varieties such as chrysanthemums, lilies, dahlias, gerberas, etc. to growers in the province and Ha Tinh province, the output of flower varieties sold has never been as low as this year. It is now the Tet flower growing season, but the number of people ordering chrysanthemum varieties has decreased by 50% compared to last year. Flower varieties such as lilies and tulips have only ordered a small quantity, so I have not dared to import flower bulbs. Compared to previous years, the price of lily bulbs and chrysanthemum seedlings has increased slightly.”

According to a survey in traditional flower growing areas, the area of ​​Tet flowers has decreased by about 35-40% compared to previous years. Photo: Thanh Phuc

According to a survey in traditional flower growing areas, the area of ​​Tet flowers decreased by about 35-40% compared to previous years, especially for high-end flowers such as lilies and tulips, the area decreased by about 70-80%...