Buddha's hand growers lost everything
In recent days, due to the impact of rain and floods from storm No. 3, the Red River water level has risen. Accordingly, Buddha's hand gardens of people in Hong Ha commune (Dan Phuong, Hanoi) have collapsed and dried up, leaving only desolate scenes and heavy damage.
Residents in Hong Ha commune said that it had been decades since the Red River had risen this high. Many households did not have time to evacuate their belongings, and their Buddha’s hand gardens were submerged in water.
“No one expected the flood to rise so quickly. I only had time to hang the fruit high up, but by the next morning everything was flooded, so I had to leave it to the elements,” said Nguyen Thi Thao, a gardener in Dan Phuong.
Pointing at the withered trees, Ms. Thao sadly said: "This flood caused so much damage, every house lost everything, at least a few tens of millions, at most up to hundreds of millions."
“The money for pesticides and plant protection drugs is always expected to be paid at the end of the year, but this year, due to the impact of storm No. 3, we lost everything. The family currently does not have enough money to pay, so we have to borrow money everywhere,” Ms. Thao said with red eyes.
For nearly two weeks, many families have been trying to "revive" Buddha's hand trees that still have green leaves. However, people say that "saving" the trees is only a temporary measure, and after a while, the trees will die because they have been soaked in water for too long.
Hope for economic recovery soon
In a garden littered with fallen trees, Ms. Pham Thi Mat - a worker for Buddha's hand gardens in Hong Ha commune (Hoai Duc, Hanoi) sat on a narrow path, patiently cutting each damaged Buddha's hand fruit.
‘‘Before, my income was around 400,000 - 500,000 VND per day as a hired worker. However, after the entire Buddha’s hand garden died, my family’s finances became difficult,’’ Ms. Mat choked up.
Ms. Mat also expressed: ''I hope the Buddha's hand gardens can be quickly restored so that workers like us can have a job, a stable income, and a living.''
Living in Hong Ha commune (Hoai Duc, Hanoi) for 60 years now, Ms. Le Thi Le said that she always considers Buddha's hand gardens as her second home.
“Seeing such a tragic situation, these days, I am always ready to go to work happily, spending my free time with everyone to try to restore what can be saved for the owner,” Ms. Le shared.
Faced with severe damage caused by floods, Buddha's hand growers all share the same hope that the State will pay attention and have policies to support loans with preferential interest rates so that farmers have the opportunity to restore production and develop the economy after natural disasters.
