As Tet (Lunar New Year) approaches, authorities in the Central Highland province of Lam Dong’s Da Lat City are working to help flower farmers avoid losses, which occurred last year during the holiday season.

Phan Thanh Sang, chairman of the Da Lat Flower Association, said the supply this year would be more than sufficient and that prices would remain affordable.

During a meeting with HCM City’s Department of Industry and Trade recently, Sang said that many Da Lat flower farmers had incurred great losses last Tet, as traffic congestion made it difficult to transport flowers from Da Lat to HCM City’s markets.

The travel time affected the quality of flowers and many of them could not be sold in HCM City. In addition, some farmers had to work with unreliable businesses that did not make their payments.

The association has asked the city to suspend the ban of trucks from certain roads during peak hours so that flowers can arrive at markets on time, and to foster networking and co-operation between farmers, businesses and retailers.

Nguyen Huynh Trang, deputy director of the department, said she would ask the city to consider the association’s proposal, and to create opportunities for farmers and businesses for co-operation.

Trang told the Nguoi Lao Dong (The Labourer) newspaper that Lam Dong and Dong Thap provinces were told in advance how many flowers would be needed for Tet in HCM City.

Districts in HCM City were also urged to reconsider the rental prices for areas used by farmers in the city to sell their flowers.

Between 85 and 90 per cent of Da Lat flowers are sold domestically, mainly to HCM City, Da Nang, Nha Trang and Vung Tau. — VNS