CHIANG RAI: Sales of Valentine's Day roses are expected to be down this year, but prices will still go up because the plants are producing fewer blooms.
Vendors at Sirikorn flower market in Muang district said there is less interest in ordering fresh roses for Feb 14 this year.
Young people seemed more interested in sending digital flowers to their loved ones.
The owner of Doi Florist shop said supplies of roses were down because weather conditions had affected the harvest. The plants were bearing fewer flowers.
This caused the price of a bouquet of roses to sharply increase. A bouquet of small roses which previously sold for 200-300 baht would cost 300-400 baht this year, she said.
Kapkaew Donnate, owner of Tuta Florist shop, said young people were traditionally the main customers for Valentine’s Day, but now they tended to send digital flowers and buy other gifts instead of fresh roses.
She also confirmed that prices of roses had doubled because of the low supply, and blamed the unfavourable weather.
“Vendors here buy flowers from several gardens in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai provinces. Our shop orders flowers from gardens in Thoeng district in Chiang Rai.
"Bouquets of roses, each with 25 blooms, are currently priced at 200 baht each. The retail price of single rose is 20 baht, but only grade B and C roses are available at the market.
"For Valentine’s Day, grade A roses are expected to be available at the market, but the price will be 40 baht a rose,’’ Ms Kapkaew said.
Sirkorn flower market in Chiang Rai's Muang district. (Photo by Chinpat Chaimon)