Small traders worry about selling off to go home early
Trading a variety of items from peach blossoms, apricot blossoms to chrysanthemum morifolium on Duong Dinh Nghe street, Ms. Vu Thuy Chi (Hung Yen) still looks forward to customers coming to buy every day.
Up to this point, December 24th of the lunar calendar, but the market is very quiet. Like previous years, from around December 20th of the lunar calendar onwards, I have been selling very "hand-running", but this year most people just come to see. Even, the number of people coming to the flower market is also much less" - Ms. Chi shared.
According to Ms. Chi, the business of flowers and ornamental plants depends heavily on weather conditions. The longer the plants are left outdoors, the higher the care costs, the greater the risk. Many flower plants are damaged or bloom early, forcing her to neatly arrange them in a corner, accepting damage.
I invested about 500 million VND for this year's Tet flower crop, but at this point I have to "pick up" every penny. The capital spent is large, but the revenue is "small drop". Not being allowed to display and sell on the sidewalk also affects business, although this is a mandatory regulation to comply with" - Ms. Chi worried.
For nearly a month now, many small traders have had to "stay under the sky", eating and sleeping in shacks with the hope of having a more fulfilling Tet. Commenting on this year's consumption trend, Ms. Chi said that people often choose small-sized flowers and ornamental plants, priced at an average level.
Tet ornamental plants cost millions of VND, although very beautiful, people still don't dare to "spend money". Most of them just go to see and wait" - Ms. Chi said.
Sharing the same feeling, Mr. Nguyen The Hien (Ba Vi, Hanoi) said that this year's Tet flower market is clearly quiet. This is the second year he has been doing peach and kumquat business, but purchasing power has decreased sharply.
This year I imported about 400 kumquat trees, tonight I will bring in another 200 trees, but by this time I have only sold about 100 trees. Goods still have to be taken by trip, the money has been paid to the gardener, so it is impossible not to accept it. The selling price is uniformly 250,000 VND/tree, but customers still bid, watch many times before deciding to buy. If the situation does not improve, in the next few days I may have to sell off at the original price to return to my hometown for Tet early" - Mr. Hien said.
According to Mr. Hien, the weather this year is quite favorable for peach blossoms and kumquats to show off their colors, and the selling price is also "softer" than every year, but the number of buyers is still sparse.
Tet flower market still waiting for "explosion moment
While many Tet flowers and ornamental plants are in a quiet state, the orchid orchid market is recording more positive signals. Increased demand makes orchid planters work almost "continuously".
Mr. Vu Duy Tu (Ninh Binh) - an orchid planter with 15 years of experience - said that this year the orchid market is relatively stable.
Every day we work from 10-12 hours, only getting a few minutes of rest when it's lunch and dinner, even some days we only have time to eat one meal" - Mr. Tu shared.
According to Mr. Tu, the price of each orchid pot ranges from 260,000 - 320,000 VND, depending on the number of branches, color and quality of flowers. Orchid pots designed elaborately, combined with many pots or artisticly shaped are priced higher, mainly serving customers who buy as gifts or display at offices and agencies.
Although some segments recorded positive signals, in general, the Tet flower and ornamental plant market this year is still covered in a deep color. When purchasing power has not really improved, many small traders continue to anxiously wait for the days close to Tet - a time expected to "save" the entire flower season.
