VietNamNet Bridge – Flower villages in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta fear their supply of flowers and ornamental plants for Tet (Lunar New Year) next month will decline because of unfavourable weather.

Inclement weather has caused many yellow apricot flowers in Phuoc Dinh Village in Vinh Long Province’s Long Ho District, meant for Tet, to blossom too early. — VNA/VNS Le Thuy Hang

Prolonged rains late last month and early this month in the delta caused inundation that killed many plants and caused others to blossom early.

Nguyen Thi Lun of Long Thoi Commune in Ben Tre Province’s Cho Lach District, one of the largest flower growing areas in the delta, said she planted more than 1,500 pots of daisy three months ago.

“However, prolonged rains inundated them and killed them. To have flowers to sell during Tet, I have had to switch to marigold.”

Nguyen Van Thanh of Cho Lach District’s Hung Khanh Trung B Commune said drought and saltwater intrusion earlier this year damaged half of the 3,000 kumquat trees he was growing for Tet.

“I tried to rescue the remaining trees but they are growing too slowly and are not good looking like in previous years.”

Drought and saltwater intrusion destroyed more than 3,000ha of flowers and ornamental trees, seedlings and fruit trees, according to the Cho Lach District Agriculture and Rural Development Bureau.

Most people in Cho Lach’s Long Thoi, Hung Khanh Trung B and Vinh Thanh communes make a living by growing flowers and ornamental trees year round, but Tet is their main business season.

Bui Thanh Liem, head of the bureau, said the supply of flowers and ornamental trees for Tet would be down because of the prolonged rains and saltwater intrusion.

District officials have helped farmers reduce the damage caused by inclement weather, he said.  

The district expects to see its supply of flowers and ornamental trees during Tet fall by 10 per cent from last year to around 10 million pots, according to the bureau.

The inclement weather has also caused many ochna trees to bloom early.

In Phuoc Dinh Village in Vinh Long Province’s Long Ho District, one of the delta’s largest ochna plant producers, 30 per cent of the 4,000 plants meant for Tet bloomed at the end of last month and early this month.

The village’s farmers have picked the early blooming flowers, pruned blooming branches and fertilised the plants, hoping they would bud and bloom again during Tet. But the probability is not high, they said.

The village has about 550 ochna plants aged 50-100 years and 10,800 others aged 20-50 years.

Ochna blossoms are a symbol of Tet in the country’s southern region.

In Dong Thap Province’s Sa Dec City, one of the places in the delta where floriculture has been done for the longest time, farmers have planted more than 100ha of flowers and ornamental trees for Tet.

Besides traditional flowers like daisy and marigold, the city is also famous for growing more than 50 kinds of roses.

Because of the prolonged rains, some daisy varieties have been affected by diseases and are growing too slowly, according to the city Agriculture and Rural Development Bureau.

The supply of flowers and ornamental trees for Tet could decline because of the inclement weather, it said.

Nguyen Thi Cam Van, who grows flowers in Sa Dec’s Ward 3, said: “The prices of flowers will increase slightly this Tet because the cost of all inputs has increased since last year.” 

VNS