Colombia’s flower producers say that 2010’s severe weather has been devastating to the industry and that production for next year’s Valentine’s Day will be far lower than usual, reports RCN.
“This harsh winter has brought many negative consequences for floriculture,” said Asocolflores President Augusto Solano.
“In some cases producers have a lot of difficulty reaching their place of work. In other cases the excess moisture in the atmosphere accelerates disease, and most troubling is that this is the most important time for us because it is the production for Valentine’s Day,” he said.
Colombia exports 76% of its flowers to the U.S., where Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, which follows soon after, make this period is the most important time of the year for Colombian flower producers.
Colombian flower sales to the U.S. have been decreasing in recent years, as a strengthening peso, dwindling consumer spending, and harsh weather combine to cause losses in sales.