Plum Village Worry
This year's purchasing power tends to slow down, and Tet apricot tree farmers in Binh Phuoc (Long Ho district, Vinh Long) cannot help but worry when looking forward to a Tet that is not as expected.
With more than 40 years of experience in growing apricot flowers, Mr. Tieu Hung Minh - a farmer in Phuoc Dinh Golden Apricot Village, has witnessed many ups and downs in the consumption of Tet apricot flowers. He said that this year the number of customers buying apricot flowers has decreased sharply.
“Although the yellow apricot blossoms are still blooming brilliantly this year, due to the difficult economic situation, many households have tightened their spending, causing less apricot consumption. In previous years, by this time, most of the apricot blossoms planted were sold, but this year, the number of customers coming to buy is very sparse, especially many traders are no longer as interested as before,” Mr. Minh shared.
Unable to hide his worries about the consumption of yellow apricots this year, Mr. Bui Thanh Dam (Phuoc Dinh, Long Ho) said that this year's revenue has decreased by 50% due to slow purchasing power. "Another reason for the decline in yellow apricots is the appearance of many fake ornamental plants with diverse designs and low prices, creating great competition with real apricot trees, especially in the context of consumers having to tighten their spending," Mr. Dam shared.
Mr. Dam also said that last year, on the days before Tet, traders and merchants had almost ordered all the apricot blossoms. This year, he only hopes to sell half of the apricot blossoms to make up for the cost of labor, fertilizer, and pesticides.
Hope for the days near Tet
Speaking with Lao Dong, Mr. Le Van Ty (Director of Phuoc Dinh yellow apricot cooperative, Long Ho district, Vinh Long province) said that Phuoc Dinh cooperative was established in 2021, currently has 45 members and grows over 50,000 yellow apricot trees of many sizes.
“This year, yellow apricot farmers are facing many difficulties in the consumption process and the price of yellow apricot has also decreased significantly compared to previous years. This is a big challenge for farmers in maintaining the tradition of growing yellow apricot,” said Mr. Ty.
Mr. Le Van Ty added that, facing an unfavorable market, Phuoc Dinh Cooperative not only supports farmers in apricot growing and care techniques, but also helps improve crop quality, connects traders to sell apricots, helps farmers sell more stably and reduces the sluggish situation during this Tet season.
Farmers in Phuoc Dinh Apricot Village still hope that in the days leading up to Tet, the demand for Tet flowers will increase sharply. Especially when people start preparing for Tet activities, from decorating their homes to giving gifts, yellow apricot will become one of the choices.
