Major flower villages across the nation are busy to harvest and deliver flowers to markets before the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday begins.
Gladiolus growers in Hiep An commune, Trong Duc district, the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong have been busily working their fields since the peak harvest began on February 7.
Flowers are packed and carried to pick-up points along Highway 20 where trucks are waiting in a long queue before departing to northern and central cities and provinces.
Gladiolus are currently being sold for between VND 2,100 – 4,300 (USD 0.1 – 0.2) per sprig, half that of last year.
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| Flowers in Sa Dec. Photo: baomoi.com |
According to the local People’s Committee, the commune grew a total of 285 hectares of gladiolus this season, 245 hectares of which are ready for harvest immediately before the holiday with the remaining 40 hectares to be collected afterwards.
Hiep An commune is renowned for having the largest gladiolus fields in Lam Dong, supplying flowers for cities and provinces nationwide, particularly Ho Chi Minh City.
Meanwhile, Sa Dec city in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap has been growing more than 2,500 species of flowers to prepare for the upcoming festive season, 24 of which are from the Netherlands, according to the local authority.
Its 400 hectares of flowers are already almost sold out, despite prices 10-15 percent higher than last year, generating a profit of VND 15,000 – 20,000 (USD 0.7 – 0.94) per pot.
Many flower and plant species native to other regions have also been in high demand in the city this year, including the hydrangea, rhododendron, orchid and strawberry.
Pham Huu Phuoc, Director of the city’s Centre for Advanced Technology, noted that the centre has successfully multiplied several new varieties for mass production, including dendrobium and mokara orchids, campanula, and gerbera.
It plans to work with institutes and enterprises from the Netherlands and Japan in order to research and develop new more flower varieties in the future.
Source: VNA