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Vietnamese farmers cultivating ornamental trees in central Binh Dinh province and fruits in the Mekong Delta are earning good income from their products ahead of the traditional spring festival.
Now about three weeks before the lunar New Year, called Tet in Vietnamese, which will fall on January and lasts for a week, local demand on ornamental trees for home decoration and fruits for use during the holidays is on the rise.
Phan Van Sau, a farmer in Thanh Liem village of central Binh Dinh province, about 880 km south of capital Hanoi, told local media that he expected to earn about 1 billion VND (47,000 U.S. dollars) from selling 2,000 apricot trees this season.
Sau said his products would be delivered to many localities nationwide, but mostly to Ho Chi Minh (HCM) City and Mekong Delta provinces in the south; central Hue and Da Nang cities and capital Hanoi, Nam Dinh and Hai Duong cities in the north.
A common Tet tradition for most Vietnamese families is using different types of flowers to decorate their homes to welcome the Lunar New Year. Normally, the yellow apricot blossom is a traditional favorite for people in the country's central and southern regions. However, in recent years, residents in the north have also been opting for the yellow apricot blossom, besides the traditional pink peach blossom.
An Nhon commune in Binh Dinh Province has been known as the country's largest supplier of apricot trees for the past 10 years. Up to 90 percent of local farmers depend on apricot tree cultivation for their livelihood. Apricot tree cultivation helped eradicate farmers' poverty and develop the local economy.
According to Sau, commercial cultivation of the apricot trees in the province began 20 years ago, and since then it has changed lives of the growers for the better. Each farmer now has an average annual income of around 200 million VND (roughly 9,500 U.S. dollars) from yellow apricot blossoms.
The apricot tree cultivation also creates seasonal jobs for hundreds of workers during the two months before the Tet celebrations.
According to local farmers, the soil and climate in the commune are highly suited for growing apricot trees,
Besides selling yellow apricot blossom trees for decoration during Tet holidays, local farmers are also cultivating bonsai apricot trees, which bring them higher profits.
According to an official from the economic department of An Nhon Commune, profits from sales of apricot trees this year is expected to surpass last year's figure of 20 billion VND (roughly 1 million U.S. dollars).
Meanwhile, farmers in the Mekong Delta, the country's largest fruit cultivation area, are busy preparing speciality fruits for Tet holidays. Hoa Loc mango, Nam Roi grapefruit and Lai Vung pink mandarin are among the most in demand.
Nguyen Van Nghia, a farmer in Binh Minh district of Vinh Long province, said he planted Nam Roi grapefruit on an area of 5,000 square meters, from which he would harvest from four to five tons of grapefruits just a few days before Tet.
This year, the price of Nam Roi grapefruit is expected to be higher or at least equal to that of last year, Nghia told local Vietnam News on Monday, adding that last year, he sold Nam Roi grapefruits for 70,000-80,000 VND (3.3-3.8 U.S. dollars) per kilogram at the wholesale market.
In southern Hau Giang province, the Phu Tri A Agriculture Extension Club in Chau Thanh district said it would produce over 5, 000 grapefruits shaped like wine gourds, which are sold for up to 700,000 VND (33 U.S. dollars) per kilo.
According to the club chairman Vo Trung Thanh, the price of the grapefruit this season is expected to increase by 20 percent compared to the previous Tet.
Meanwhile, pink mandarins in Lai Vung district of Dong Thap province are sold for about 24,000 VND (1.13 U.S. dollars) per kilogram, higher than the same period last year.
Lai Vung district has 1,120 hectare under pink mandarin cultivation, producing about 30,000-35,000 tons of fruit a year, according to the local Agriculture and Rural Development Bureau. Local farmers said they could earn a profit of 200 million VND (9, 470 U.S. dollars) from one hectare of pink mandarin cultivation.
Demand on Hoa Loc mango from Tien Giang province is also on the rise ahead of Tet. Nguyen Thanh Nhon, chairman of the Hoa Loc Mango Co-operative, said his cooperative would supply about 20,000 tons of Hoa Loc mango for the lunar New Year. The price of Hoa Loc mango will be 75,000 VND (3.4 U.S. dollars) per kilo, up 20,000 VND (nearly 1 U.S. dollar) compared to previous year.
