These days, Mr. Nguyen Van Thang in Long village, Thanh Linh commune (Thanh Chuong) is busy planting flowers for Tet. Accordingly, he planted 20,000 chrysanthemums of various types. Compared to last year, the price of chrysanthemum seeds has decreased by 200 VND/plant, and the quality of the seeds is also better.

Mr. Thang said: “Last year, the price of flower seeds was up to 630 VND/plant, some types were up to 750 VND/plant. Not only did the price increase, but the quality of the seeds was also poor and difficult to choose. This year, the price of chrysanthemum seeds decreased by 100 - 200 VND/plant (depending on the type), so growers are excited.”

To have flowers to supply the market for the Lunar New Year of Giap Thin 2024, Mr. Phan Sy Duc's family in village 1, Cao Son commune (Anh Son) is planting 6 sao of chrysanthemums of various types and about 2,000 lily bulbs.

According to Mr. Duc, this year, the price of flower seeds has decreased, so those who grow a large quantity like his family can save quite a bit of money on seeds. “With 600,000 chrysanthemum seeds, reducing each plant by 200 VND will save each sao nearly 2 million VND in seeds. Reducing input costs will reduce the cost of output products, helping to compete with flowers imported from other places, making them easier to consume.”

Importing more than 2 million chrysanthemum seedlings of various types to supply to growers in the district, Ms. Ngoc Son - owner of a garden in Anh Son town said: "Most of the chrysanthemum varieties are imported from Nam Dinh. Chrysanthemum buds cost 320 VND/plant, while chrysanthemum roots cost 450 VND/plant.

Compared to last year, the price of seedlings has decreased slightly due to favorable weather, easy planting and lower transportation costs compared to previous years. Up to now, many households in the district have bought chrysanthemum seedlings, many households are placing orders to plant in time for the season.

Currently, growing flowers for Tet has been widely spread in all localities in the province, from the coastal areas in Dien Chau, Quynh Luu, Nghi Loc districts, Hoang Mai town, to along the Lam river alluvial plain or the crop growing areas.

Therefore, the demand for flower varieties is quite high, while the number of nurseries in Nghe An is limited, the source of flower varieties is mainly imported from the northern provinces (Hanoi, Nam Dinh) or Lam Dong, Sa Dec. Therefore, the transportation cost affects the price of varieties, pushing the price up by about 25%.

This year, in addition to the price of chrysanthemum seeds cooling down, the price of other flowers for Tet such as lilies, gladiolus, gypsophila, and dahlias has also decreased slightly. According to a survey, the current price of chrysanthemums ranges from 400 - 500 VND/plant; gladiolus costs 1,200 - 2,000 VND/bulb (depending on the type, down 400 - 500 VND/bulb), lilies cost 8,000 - 10,000 VND/bulb (depending on the type, down 2,000 - 3,000 VND/bulb)...

Flower seed prices have decreased, and this year's winter weather is forecast to be not too harsh, making it very favorable for planting flowers for Tet. Therefore, at this time, in localities, farmers are urgently preparing the land and planting flowers. According to preliminary statistics, this 2024 Tet crop, the whole province will plant about 120 hectares of flowers of all kinds, of which the most are chrysanthemums, with about 100 hectares, lilies about 3 hectares, gladiolus about 4 hectares and other types of flowers.

In recent years, the Tet flower market has been quite stable, people have a good income so the planting area has been expanded. In particular, people have known how to diversify the types of flowers, serving the needs and tastes of consumers.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thang said: "If you know how to take care of and master the techniques to make flowers bloom on time for Tet, the flowers are big and beautiful, they are easy to sell and have a high selling price. Therefore, growing Tet flowers is a profession, a type of crop that brings economic value and high income to people. In addition to focusing on chrysanthemums for incense, we are also aiming for colored chrysanthemums and other types of flowers for vases and pots to decorate the house."

Compared to other crops, flower plants have a fairly high economic value. However, growing Tet flowers requires large flowers, flowers that bloom evenly and must be right on Tet. Therefore, growers must be meticulous, take care of them carefully and know how to apply the technique of lighting the plants at night to stimulate the plants to grow and develop evenly and adjust the flowering time as desired. At the same time, to avoid the pressure of consumption at the same time, people need to plant overlapping, diversifying the types and colors of flowers to meet the tastes of consumers.