Mr. Pham Van Thanh, a Tet flower farmer in My Loi hamlet, My Phong commune, My Tho City, has not sold all his chrysanthemum fields by the 27th day of Tet. Despite reducing prices by nearly 40% compared to last year, the market is very slow. “This year, the income of farmers has decreased significantly compared to last year because the flower prices are lower and the traders buy less. The price of a pair of longevity peaches has decreased by 40% compared to the previous year, but the cost of fertilizer is still increasing, so farmers only make a little profit this year,” said Mr. Thanh.
On the 27th day of Tet, many flower fields in My Tho City are waiting for buyers.
This year, most fresh flower fields in My Tho City have slow consumption despite the significant price reduction compared to previous years. In the previous Tet, a pair of yellow daisies was priced at about 120,000 VND, now reduced to 60,000 – 80,000 VND; a pair of longevity peaches was priced at 100,000 VND last year, now reduced to 60,000 – 70,000 VND. Other types of flowers also decreased in price by 20-30% compared to last year. For potted chrysanthemums and expensive flowers, the market is very slow.
In My Phong flower village, until the end of the 27th day (Lunar calendar), only about 50% of Tet flowers have been sold, especially some flower fields in Hoi Gia hamlet, which have only sold 40%; while at the same time last year, the flower fields had a consumption rate of 80%.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hung, a chrysanthemum farmer in My Loi hamlet, My Phong commune, had to gather flowers along the roads to wait for buyers. He said that he has been growing Tet flowers for decades, but this year’s sales are the slowest. “This year’s flowers are only sold about 30% of the quantity with prices ranging from 40,000 – 60,000 VND per pair. The price of flowers is very low this year, only half the price compared to last year. Last year, despite the high prices, I still sold well, but this year, the prices are cheap, but there are still no buyers. My Tho City has not seen anyone coming to support farmers, so I’m afraid that people will lose capital in this flower season,” Mr. Hung worried.
Near Tet, traders come to buy flowers, but they are very scarce.
For flower fields that have the right timing for Tet and beautiful flowers, located on main roads, and have favorable output contracts, farmers make a good profit. However, for low-quality flower fields with high rental costs, farmers do not make any profit. There are some flower growers who can still sell well and have high income, but many farmers cannot sell their flowers, and traders refuse to receive them. This year, there are more farmers than buyers, and due to the difficult economic situation, the flowers cannot be sold,” said Mr. Nguyen Van Bach, a flower grower in My Tho City.
Due to slow flower consumption, many households have to transport flowers to Ho Chi Minh City or other provinces for sale, which is quite difficult and costly, and it is uncertain whether all the flowers will be sold or not. In the traditional Tet of Giap Thin in 2024, farmers in Tien Giang province planted about 1.3 million potted flowers, mostly in My Tho City.
Previously, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Tien Giang province, Nguyen Van Vinh, directed the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism in organizing the Tet Flower Street of Tien Giang in Hung Vuong Square (My Tho City) to prioritize the use of flowers from farmers in the province. However, most flower growers in My Tho City are very annoyed because they have not been able to sell flowers for this construction, so they have to find outlets for their flowers themselves.
