South American growers recover from tough weather

South American rose growers are experiencing some cold and rainy days for a couple of months now. It decreases the productivity of their crop and increases the occurrence of diseases in their crop. "In March and the first weeks of April, our production was about 10 to 15 percent lower", says Ecuadorian rose grower Sebastian Padula of Josarflor. Fortunately, as Mother's Day (May 14) is around the corner, their volumes are back on track again. This week, the final Mother's Day shipments will leave Josarflor's farm to Europe and the USA.

Sebastian Padula at the Flowers Expo in Moscow.

Cold and rainy weather
According to Padula, the weather started to change in December. "It started to be cloudy with lot of rains and cold temperatures. It continued for several months and March and the first weeks of April were the worst." The weather, and in particular the temperature, seems to be quite unusual compared to previous years. "Last year, we had less rains and a lot of sun, but this was due to the weather phenomenon El Niño. Usually, during this time of the year, we have a lot of rains but not that cold temperatures."

Decrease production
The high level of humidity, cloudy days and cold temperatures resulted in a production decrease at many farms in March and April. "Due to the lower light levels, our production decreased by around 10 to 15 percent", says Padula. The high level of humidity often results in many diseases and, according to Padula, many crops at many farms were hit with diseases. "Fortunately, we did not have to deal with that much diseases."

Stable prices
Even with the tough weather, the season seemed to have been good. "The prices were stable and this is good for everybody, because stable prices mean that we can make some forecasts."

Current weather conditions
Compared to March and April, the weather improved and Josarflor is producing their usual volumes again. However, it is still too cold for the time of the year. According to Padula, the people that live in the region predict that the weather will not return to normal again, but will become like many years ago. This means colder temperatures.

Next season
Josarflor is nearing the end of the season. "All the major holidays are over. Now, in June, July and August the demand for roses will be low." He is looking forward to September 1st, which is the first day of school for kids in Russia. "Then, each kid traditionally brings a bouquet of flowers for their teacher. Russia is our main market, so it is a very important day for us."

For more information

Josarflor

Sebastian Padula

Email: sales@josarflor.com