Mini kumquats are difficult to grow, sold early to survey the market
As the second year of bringing mini kumquats to the market, Ms. Nguyen Hong Hanh - owner of a mini kumquat store on Nguy Nhu Kon Tum street (Thanh Xuan, Hanoi) decided to sell them early, with the desire to have more income besides full-time work.
According to Ms. Hanh, in Hanoi, there are currently not many small-sized kumquat selling points because this type of tree is difficult to grow, not every garden accepts to do it. "Small kumquat trees require the roots to be planted for many years, with strong roots. Garden owners have to spend a lot of effort to take care of them, but the profit is not high" - Ms. Hanh shared.
She said that the success rate of planting is low, 100 trees may only select 1 tree that meets the requirements. When directly going to the garden, she witnessed a fairly large number of damaged trees. Planters must both create shapes and shape them to develop in the right direction, and calculate so that when the tree bears fruit, the small trunk can still hold the amount of fruit on the branch.
Unlike last year, this year Ms. Hanh imported mini kumquats earlier so that the product would be known to many people. "Last year, because the item was still new, I didn't dare to import much. However, customer demand is quite good. Mini kumquats are suitable for many spaces, from office desks, altars of fortune - gods of wealth to tea tables in the family" - Ms. Hanh said.
However, according to Ms. Hanh, the current time is still early for consumers to decide to buy. Ms. Hanh said: "Most customers passing by only stop to admire because of curiosity, the market is not really vibrant. Every two days I import an additional 100 trees, selling about 30 trees a day. I borrow this space from my older sister, if I have to rent it, it is almost unprofitable.
Moc lan has a high flowering rate but buyers reduce 20-40%
At a flower selling point around the Nam Trung Yen temporary market area (Hanoi), magnolia - a type of flower favored by many families in recent years - has been on sale for half a month now.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Huong - a flower trader said that besides selling whole plants, she has separated them into bunches, each bouquet of magnolia flowers has 2-4 branches. The price ranges from 150,000-250,000 VND, depending on the quantity and quality of buds.
For bundles with large, plump buds, the price will be higher. Small buds are cheaper, but you have to take care of them carefully. For bundles, it takes 10-20 days for the buds to grow and bloom" - Ms. Huong shared.
According to small traders, this year's magnolia has a higher flowering rate because gardeners learned from previous seasons. "They let the buds mature and plump enough before cutting them to the market. If cared for properly, about 90-98% will bloom" - Ms. Huong said.
However, purchasing power this year is not as expected. "Compared to last year, the number of interested customers decreased by about 20-40%" - Ms. Huong assessed.
The import price of magnolia flowers has not increased, even quite stable, but the profits of sellers are not much. For each bouquet of flowers, small traders only make a profit of about 30,000-50,000 VND, while having to accept great risks.
Some bouquets do not bloom, have fallen buds or die, I have to leave them. If customers buy them but they do not bloom, I still have to change them, considering it a 50-50 risk" - Ms. Huong expressed.
Not only magnolia, other Tet flower items such as peach blossoms are also considered "softer" in price. Some small traders said that peach blossoms have just started to be imported this year, the price is soft, but the number of customers asking to buy is still not large.
However, the market picture this year is forecast to be difficult to be vibrant. The main reason comes from tightening urban order and clearing sidewalks, causing many small traders not to dare to import large quantities of goods.
People in rural areas coming to sell are also cautious, not bringing as many flowers out as before. If they are not allowed to sell on the sidewalk, they only sell online or sell sparingly" - another small trader shared.
