May 19, 2006

Flower Supply Shortage After Colombia RainsSource: Various

Heavy rainfall in Colombia has affected plant supplies in the United States. Some wholesalers found themselves without the usual amount of product shortly before Mother’s Day, one of the busiest times of the year for growers and retailers in the United States.

Red Kennicott, chief executive officer for wholesale florist Kennicott Brothers, Chicago, Ill., told the Society of American Florists (SAF) that he attributes the shortage to the abundant rain, which damaged crops across Colombia. Growers in that country are accustomed to getting 80-100 inches of rainfall per year; so far this year, they have seen more rain than usual.

“The rains have affected thousands of farms, infrastructure and families in remote and high-risk areas, hitting them hard economically,” said Carlos Ivan Marquez, Socorro Nacional deputy director, the state rescue agency of Columbia, said to Mail&Gardian online. He counts that 82,400 people in the country have been affected by the rains, which have killed more than 100 people and damaged thousands of homes since the beginning of the year.

Although Colombia expects another five weeks of rain, the United States’ horticulture industry should not see any long-term consequences, according to Kennicott, although he did have to adjust his flower shop’s prices briefly, he told to SAF.