With only a few weeks left for the peak flower shopping season during Tet (Lunar New Year), many farmers in Dong Thap, Ben Tre and Tien Giang provinces and HCM City are worried because few traders are coming to buy.

Without much demand, they do not dare increase prices though prices of inputs had almost doubled from last year.

However, supply is not high either with farmers in the delta cutting output by half, even 70 per cent in some areas, including in major flower growing areas such as Sa Dec Village in Dong Thap Province and Ba Bo Village in Can Tho City.

Tran Van Thai, a flower farmer in Sa Dec, said most farmers are worried it would be difficult to sell this year.

Truong Van Nhung, head of the My Phong Flower Production Cooperative in My Tho City in Tien Giang, said total output this year was 70 per cent down from last year.

“Farmers have scaled down their production as they are worried about the low demand. They will mainly sell their flowers to traders. A small amount will be sold at local spring flower festivals.”

Nguyen Van Hien, a trader in Tien Giang Province, said every year he buys 1,000 pots of flowers and ornamental plants in the delta and transports them to HCM City to sell at Gia Dinh Park in Go Vap District, but this year, with the COVID-19 pandemic, he does not dare buy such large numbers.

The delta is the largest flower growing region in the country and the leading supplier to HCM City and southern provinces during Tet. — VNS