HCM City seeks to expand orchid market

HCM CITY – HCM City is working with several provinces to set up orchid supply chains and mitigate shortages there, especially during holidays when supply dwindles and prices shoot up.

According to the municipal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, orchid was grown in the city on around 360 hectares, mostly in Hóc Môn, Củ Chi and Bình Chánh districts, and around VNĐ615 billion worth of orchid plants and branches were supplied, with a focus on varieties such as mokara and dendrobium.

Đặng Lê Thị Thanh Huyền, director of Huyền Thoại Orchid Co-operative, said because of its favourable climate and application of modern technologies HCM City has better orchid output and quality than other places.

According to Vườn Mơ Co Ltd, shops in many provinces sell orchid stems of poor quality as they have to rely on middlemen since they cannot regularly travel the long distance to HCM City.

Trần Trường Sơn of the HCM City Farmers Association said orchid farmers in the city face a similar problem and also have to rely on traders.

Trần Tấn Quý, deputy director of the department, said it had been working with Cần Thơ City and south-western provinces to expand the orchid market and organising conferences and networking events to link farmers and co-operatives with distributors to form long-term partnerships.

The city also consulted farmers, distributors and other relevant parties to draft favourable policies.

The department is planning to organise a flower festival to promote orchids, which Lê Thanh Liên, deputy chairman of the city People’s Committee, said would help the city’s plan to shift from rice to more profitable crops.

Sơn said small farmers should work together to ensure stable supply and prices, and relevant departments should organise networking events to help farmers find more partners.

Phạm Thiết Hoà, director of the Investment and Trade Promotion Centre, said the centre had helped connect more than 60 businesses with farmers and co-operatives and held annual exhibitions to connect farmers directly with customers so that they did not have to rely on intermediaries.

Farmers had also improved their techniques and orchid quality over the years, he said.

The city plans to have around 600 hectares under orchids by 2030. – VNS