Demand for fruit and flowers usually increases sharply on the occasion of the lunar year’s first full moon, and a short supply this year has caused their prices to spiral upwards.
Tet Nguyen Tieu (New Year Full Moon Festival) is a major festival, and on this day many people prepare offerings, especially fruits and flowers, to the Buddha and ancestors.
At some traditional markets such as Thi Nghe and Ba Chieu in Binh Thanh District and Ben Thanh and Tan Dinh in District 1, fruit prices shot up on February 17 and 18 to VND70,000-80,000 for a kilogramme of green skin pomelo, VND60,000-70,000 for dragon fruit and VND130,000-140,000 for mangosteen.
Flower prices too rose steeply to VND40,000 for a bunch of lisianthus, VND60,000-70,000 for marigold and VND80,000 for gladiolus, while daisy and gerbera were priced at many times their normal rates.
Tran Kim Mai, a fruit trader at Thi Nghe Market, told Viet Nam News that since Tet fruit prices have remained high due to high demand and low supply.
But many people do not pay much attention to the prices because they want to prepare the offerings properly to show respect to their ancestors and pray to God, she said.
According to the management board of the Dam Sen Flower Market in District 11, some 30 tonnes of flowers came on February 17, significantly lower than normal.
As a result, prices have doubled or tripled from normal days, it added.
Tuoi tre (Youth) newspaper quoted Ly Phu Qui, a member of the market management board, as saying that a large volume of flowers had been harvested earlier for the Lunar New Year and demand has increased sharply in the central region this year, and flower growers in Lam Dong Province are unable to meet the demand.
Flower prices in Da Lat City, one of the country’s largest flower growing areas, has gone up significantly, with some varieties priced higher than even during Tet.
Vegetarian food
In addition to flowers and fruits, demand for vegetarian food also increases during the festival since many people turn vegetarian.
To meet the increasing demand, local businesses have improved the quality and design of their products and come up with new ones.
There is a wide range of vegetarian foods at various prices available at supermarkets, traditional markets and shops. — VNS