The cut flower campaign on All Saints' Day has been "strained" by the increase in prices

MADRID/VALENCIA, 1 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The cut flower campaign on All Saints' Day has been "strained" by an increase in production costs, in a year in which the sector was already noticing growth in sales, visibly higher than the two previous years. that had been paralyzed by the pandemic.

This is what Paco Montañana, a member of Asfplant cut flower and manager of Flores Montañana, commented in statements to Europa Press, who highlighted the 20% increase in production costs ranging from inputs to fertilizers, diesel and the light of the cold rooms.

Some increases that have finally had to impact the final product. For this reason, the client has had to pay between 15% and 20% more this year for their floral arrangements for November 1, as a result of inflation and rising prices.

In this sense, this flower wholesaler considers that the clientele has also lost purchasing power due to the economic situation. "The majority of our clients tend to be older people or young people who are on a tighter budget," said Montañana, who specified that this is a reason that has caused many florists to adjust orders to a greater extent.

However, the sector sees an increase in sales compared to previous years. "This year there will be a lot of sales because people want to go to cemeteries and honor their deceased," commented Paco Montañana, member of Asfplant cut flower and manager of Flores Montañana, who has seen his sales increase by 25% more. compared to last year.

Looking ahead to the coming winter months, Montañana has warned that it has to face "unaffordable" prices, especially in the costs of diesel and electricity, which may cause crop plants to stop being produced in the winter period.

The high temperatures recorded this summer and autumn have caused many of the flowers that are frequently used for these dates to have been brought forward and some varieties have even been lost as a result of the heat.

Montañana recalled that flowers are a "very delicate and perishable" product that needs to be treated very delicately "so that they reach the consumer in good condition," he commented.

Valencia, Murcia and Chipiona (Cádiz) are the areas that provide almost 80% of the cut flower production for this campaign, being the "strongest" for the florist sector in sales volume.

In Valencian production, roses, chrysanthemums, verbenas and daisies stand out, but on these dates flowers from Colombia, Holland, but also many tropical flowers from Kenya, South Africa and New Zealand are also sold.

Due to the high temperatures, there are varieties of flowers that have been most affected this summer, such as anastasias and unifloras, which are the ones that "have had the most work in the field and those that have suffered the most from the heat", although the rest of the Flores has been able to keep everything in production.

"Valencian farmers are experts in acclimatizing and knowing when to plant, how long the plantation will last and where we have to go," commented Antoñana, who has admitted that the consequences of climate change are already "total" and that due to To this end, they will have to consider delaying the planting for a week, something that worries them because, in some cases, it could mean not reaching the November 1 campaign.

Therefore, in this sector they work with a plan of months to be able to arrive on time. "Now we are starting to see what is going to be planted next year, then you start planting in August or July, it depends on the type of plant it is, and you have to plant it with enough margin so that it reaches this campaign in the months of October and November", explained the manager of Flores Montañana.