Ornamental plants are becoming a high-value economic industry

In 8 months, Ho Chi Minh City exported 8.85 million ornamental fish

Exhibition-Competition is organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Agricultural Industry Association in coordination with the People’s Committee of District 11 and several units.

Speaking at the opening of the 2024 Ornamental Plants Exhibition-Competition, Pham Manh Tuyen, Chairman of the Ornamental Plants Association, said that ornamental plant products are not only a hobby but also an art form from many previous generations, a traditional cultural habit of the nation, a part of the culture of human behavior towards nature.

Artistic ornamental plants are increasingly popular in society, creating high economic value and helping to promote the image of artisans and traditional cultural features of the nation.

Along with economic development and material and spiritual life, the movement of production, business, and ornamental plant services has been developing very strongly.

In many localities, ornamental plant craft villages, ornamental plant centers, eco-tourism villages, and eco-urban areas have appeared… In particular, the people have supported using ornamental plants to embellish scenic spots, historical sites, places of worship, martyrs’ cemeteries, hospitals, schools, offices, and public places.

In many places, ornamental plants have become a high-value economic sector in agricultural and forestry production, forming thousands of hectares of ornamental plant monoculture.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the production value of ornamental plant products accounts for a high proportion of the agricultural production value structure. It is identified as a potential product group in the urban agricultural development program.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ho Chi Minh City, as of August 2024, the area for growing flowers and ornamental plants in the city reached 2,195 hectares (of which the area for growing apricot flowers was 810 hectares, orchids were 305 hectares, ground flowers were 450 hectares, and bonsai were 630 hectares). The output of ornamental fish in 8 months reached 80 million, the output of ornamental fish for export reached 8.85 million, and the export turnover of ornamental fish reached USD 8.94 million.

Playground for artists and lovers of ornamental plants

Nguyen Van Phung, Vice President of the Vietnam Ornamental Plants Association, assessed that along with the general development of Ho Chi Minh City’s agricultural sector, shifting from traditional agricultural production model to urban agriculture, from single value to multi-value, ornamental plant products are increasingly abundant and developing strongly.

“Ornamental plant products are gradually becoming an ecological economic sector, contributing significantly to economic development. The efficiency of ornamental plant production contributes significantly to the growth of GRDP of the agricultural sector, not only meeting domestic demand but also exporting, bringing in significant foreign currency”, said Phung.

According to Mr. Phung, the 2024 Ornamental Plants Competition – Exhibition, held for the first time in District 11 (Ho Chi Minh City), will create a playground for artisans and ornamental plant makers in Ho Chi Minh City and other provinces.

Nguyen Tran Binh, Deputy Secretary of the District Party Committee, Chairman of the People’s Committee of District 11, said that the 2024 Ho Chi Minh City Ornamental Plants Exhibition and Competition has a scale of more than 70 booths with the participation of more than 80 artisans, businesses, and business households inside and outside the city, bringing more than 100 works to display and compete.

This is an opportunity to promote and introduce ornamental products, economic exchange, trade promotion, connection, expansion of cooperation, spreading love of nature, love of homeland, and sense of responsibility for protecting the landscape and environment to the people as well as agencies and businesses located in the area, contributing to the development of the ornamental industry into a sustainable urban economic sector.

This is also an opportunity for artisans and visitors to exchange and learn experiences in the art of creating and caring for ornamental plants. Thereby effectively implementing the urban agricultural development program for 2020 – 2025 towards improving the competitiveness of the City’s ornamental products, meeting domestic demand, and aiming for export.

On this occasion, the Organizing Committee and artisans will select the best works to commend, honor, and reward.

The Competition-Exhibition includes many areas: Bonsai and miniature landscape introduction area; orchid introduction area; dog introduction area (precious dog); ornamental fish breed introduction area; flower and ornamental plant display area, craft village products and local specialties and competition activity area.

The competition includes: Bonsai Competition (with four categories: Premium Bonsai, Large Bonsai, Medium Bonsai and Small Bonsai); Miniature landscape competition (medium miniature and small miniature); Ornamental fish competition and selection (with about 700 different fish models)… The products participating in the competition have many unique and characteristic elements, high economic value, and are disease-free.