Tainan District Celebrates Return of Lotuses Ahead of Flower Festival
Tainan's Baihe District is known for lotus flowers, and after a bad season last year, it's celebrating the flowers' successful return ahead of a local festival.
Lotus Blooms Return to Tainan’s Baihe District
REPORTER:
It’s flowers as far as the eye can see in Tainan’s Baihe District—a part of Taiwan known for its lotuses. They’re blooming just in time for a festival set to open on the 23rd. Farmers and local officials are relieved: past disease and the effects of climate change shrunk the successfully cultivated area down to just 150 hectares. Production halved and prices for the flowers shot up. This year’s somewhat better, with 182 hectares in bloom.
Tung Li-hua (BAIHE DISTRICT CHIEF):
Since Baihe is the home of lotuses we don’t want to plant too few. In addition to government support the farmers’ association will ensure a purchase price and so maybe people will be more willing to plant [lotuses] so there will be more planted than last year.
REPORTER:
Farmers here are pleased: they’ve even managed to dodge the time of year when Taiwan sees water shortages. But there are still worries: the flowers will need more rain to keep blooming.
Lotus Farmer:
(Do you hope it rains a bit?) Of course. If it rains, there won’t be bugs and they will grow faster.
REPORTER:
But stormy weather and too much rain could also be a problem.
Lotus Farmer:
Some plants are lush, others aren’t. I still don’t know if a typhoon will come this year and it will all be gone.
REPORTER:
For now though, the festival looks set to be a success. The fields are filled with abundant flowers in delicate pink—a feast for the eyes ready to welcome visitors to Taiwan’s home of the lotus.
