Kumquat prices increase, Hai Phong garden owners are still busy closing deals

Sang 2.1, ba Nguyen Thi Xuan va chong la ong Nguyen Van Gioi, chu vuon quat canh o to dan pho Minh Kha, phuong Dong Thai, quan An Duong, Hai Phong kiem tra mot vong vuon quat canh. Gia dinh ba Xuan, ong Gioi co 2 vuon quat, nhung vu Tet nay chi mot vuon duoc thu hoach. Vuon con lai gan 100 goc mat trang do bao Yagi va mua lut sau bao. “Mot vuon mat trang nen gia dinh tap trung cham bon cho vuon quat nay, dung lai nhung cay quat bi do do bao. Rat may, quat phuc hoi nhanh, van cho qua to, sai triu, vang dep de thu hoach dip Tet” – ong Gioi chia se.

On the morning of January 2, Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan and her husband, Mr. Nguyen Van Gioi, owners of a kumquat garden in Minh Kha residential group, Dong Thai ward, An Duong district, Hai Phong, inspected a kumquat garden. Ms. Xuan and Mr. Gioi's family have 2 kumquat gardens, but only one garden was harvested this Tet season. The other garden lost nearly 100 trees due to storm Yagi and the flooding after the storm. "One garden was completely lost, so the family focused on taking care of this kumquat garden and rebuilding the kumquat trees that were knocked down by the storm. Fortunately, the kumquats recovered quickly, still producing large, heavy, beautiful yellow fruits to harvest for Tet" - Mr. Gioi shared.

Mr. Gioi's 200-tree kumquat garden is diverse, from bonsai kumquats to giant kumquats, with selling and rental prices ranging from 800,000 VND to 5 million VND.

Gia quat nam nay cao hon nam truoc tu 100.000-200.000 dong/cay. Theo ong Gioi, tu khoang 1 tuan truoc, khach da den vuon chot cay, dat coc. Den nay, chi con vai chuc cay nho chua duoc dat hang, nhung cay to, dang dep khach deu “chot don” tu som. Nhung cay quat “co chu” duoc ghi ten, buoc vao than cay de phan biet.

This year’s kumquat prices are 100,000-200,000 VND higher than last year. According to Mr. Gioi, about a week ago, customers came to the garden to order trees and make deposits. So far, there are only a few dozen small trees that have not been ordered, while the big, beautiful trees have been “ordered” early. The kumquat trees with “owners” are named and tied to the trunk to distinguish them.

Cay quat dang the cua vuon ong Gioi duoc khach chot tu cuoi thang 11 am lich voi gia thue 5 trieu dong.

The bonsai kumquat tree in Mr. Gioi's garden was booked by a customer at the end of the 11th lunar month for 5 million VND.

Vuon dao Chuong Nghia cua ba Mai Thi Nghia (50 tuoi, to dan pho Minh Kha) cung thiet hai khoang 50 goc sau bao so 3 Yagi, Tet nay chi con khoang 200 goc duoc ban. “Moi nam thu vu Tet 200 trieu, nam nay chi khoang 120 trieu du gia quat co tang hon so voi moi nam” – ba Nghia chia se.

The Chuong Nghia peach garden of Ms. Mai Thi Nghia (50 years old, Minh Kha residential group) also suffered about 50 trees damaged after storm No. 3 Yagi, this Tet only has about 200 trees left to sell. "Every year, the Tet harvest is 200 million, this year it is only about 120 million even though the price of kumquat is higher than previous years" - Ms. Nghia shared.

Busily spraying water on kumquat trees from early morning, Ms. Mai Thi Nghia said: Spraying water is to wash away the dew on the kumquat trees, making them fresh, shiny, and beautiful, preparing to welcome customers. “For the past ten days, the Minh Kha peach growing area has been bustling, with customers coming to see and buy in droves regardless of weekdays or weekends. My family's peach garden also has many "owned" trees, and they are scheduled to come "pick up" the trees after the full moon to celebrate Tet.”

Although the harvest is not as high as in previous years, for Ms. Nghia, the beautiful kumquat trees, increased prices, and high sales have helped gardeners feel a lot of comfort after the storm. Hopefully, with the money earned from this Tet crop, households will be able to make up for the loss and have capital to invest in the following crops.

It is known that Dong Thai ward has about 60 hectares of kumquat trees for Tet. For many years, kumquat bonsai has provided jobs and stable income for local people. Despite the great damage after storm No. 3, households with many generations of experience in growing kumquat bonsai have now "revived" their kumquat gardens, in time for the Lunar New Year harvest.