Daisy gardens in flood-hit Phuoc Hoa commune in Binh Dinh Province show no sign of blossoming due to long-term submerging, and with Tet just days away, flower growers’ hopes of a profitable holiday are fading.

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

Most of the daisy gardens have been abandoned. Leaves have turned yellow and curled and flower buds have not bloomed. Some farmers have been trying to use fertilser and various farming techniques to make them bud, but with little success.

62-year-old Pham Thi Ngoc from Tuy Phuoc District’s Phuoc Hoa Commune could not help but sigh when discussing her daisy gardens, which all died due to floods.

“All 200 flower pots were submerged and have not developed flower buds,” she said. “They suffered 5 floods this year with long-term submersion and could not survive.”

“We will have no Tet (Lunar New Year). There is nothing left but debts,” she said.

Ngoc said some flowers on farms located on high areas have started budding, so they were selling well.

Another farmer, Mr Van Tuan Hung, said his family managed to move 100 daisy pots to higher ground to avoid flooding, but the leaves were crushed, forcing him to sell at low prices.

Hung predicted that the supply of flowers from Vinh Liem and Binh Lam villages, the two major daisy planting areas of the province, could not meet demand during Tet.

The flower could be expensive at flower markets, but farmers gain little profits, he added.

Some other farmers have been trying to profit from the surviving plants. At night, farmers have been working on daisy farms, either spraying to help flowers blossom or trimming buds.

50-year-old Tran Thi Minh, in the same commune, said 200 out of her 300 flower pots were dead. She and her family were trying to get the flowers to blossom, but the chances of success by Tet were slim.

“We only hope to recoup part of our money for purchasing the flowers,” she said.

Farmer Ho Van Tam said he hired four more labourers to work on his farm from early morning till 9.00pm at night.

“This is the decisive time. I’m racing with time get the flowers to blossom at Tet. I cannot give up,” he said.

Statistics from the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development showed that floods have severely damaged many areas that traditionally planted flowers for the Tet period with total area of 5,262 hectares.

There will be an unavoidable fall in quality and quantity of flowers for Tet, it said.

(Source: VNA)