Society
Deputy PM, FM Bùi Thanh Sơn receives World Bank Vice President
1.
 |
| Many lily growers in Tây Tựu Village have to harvest flowers early due to the unstable weather conditions. — Photo dantri.com.vn |
Viet Nam News
HÀ NỘI — Unusual weather has been blamed for the early flowering of lilies in Tây Tựu Village, the biggest flower farm in Hà Nội, in the run up to Tết (Lunar New Year).
For the past few years, lilies have brought success for growers, but this year many farmers have seen their profits wither, Dân Trí online newspaper reported.
A local flower farmer said many have to cut the flowers early and sell them at a lower rate.
Nam, a gardener, said he grew four sào (equivalent to 360sq.m) of lilies for Tết, but now he had to hire workers to cut them because they bloomed early.
According to preliminary calculations, he lost about VNĐ30 million (US$1,300) for each sào.
“I mortgaged my house. How can I have a happy Tết?” Nam said.
Compared to many other flowers, lilies are expensive and hard to take care of.
Growers have to invest a lot of time and money, but unstable weather can cause losses of up to VNĐ200-300 million a year, the newspaper reported.
Thuấn, another farmer who had to harvest lilies early, said she may avoid planting the flowers next year due to increasingly unpredictable weather.
“Next year, I will plant roses or daisies instead of lilies. Those flowers are cheaper but less risky than lilies,” she said.
The cool weather in northern Việt Nam in winter was a big advantage for lily farmers, she said, adding that climate change has greatly affected the cultivation of the flowers.
In the past few years, many families have hired land in neigbouring areas to grow lilies, but now many of them are quitting their jobs and returning the land, local residents said. — VNS
