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Baht/$ 35.50/54 (Bid/Ask)
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GOLD |
13,300
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PITSINEE JITPLEECHEEP
Orchid growers say they will lose as much as 800 million baht if Suvarnabhumi Airport remains closed until Dec 10.
Suwan Hiranworawuttikul, president of the Royal Horticulture Association of Thailand, said orchid growers were losing between 50 million and 100 million baht a day because their flowers cannot be shipped out of Suvarnabhumi Airport.
"Orchid demand peaks in December and about 20-30% of orchid sales come from this period. Moreover, orchid prices during the peak season are about 300% higher than in normal periods," he said.
Thailand each year exports orchids worth four billion baht and market demand has been rising by an average of 20% a year. The busiest time of the year for shipping orchids abroad by air is between Dec 10 and 21.
"Orchid growers have experienced 100% damage from the airport closure. However, we're not worried that our buyers will shift to buy orchids from other countries as Thailand has no direct competitors for high-quality orchids," Mr Suwan said.
However, if the shutdown is prolonged, there is concern that international buyers will buy other flowers or orchids from Malaysia and Singapore instead.
Mr Suwan said some growers were attempting to transport their flowers to other airports such as Chiang Mai and Phuket but this was increasing their costs.
He said that December Horticulture Fair scheduled for tomorrow to Sunday at Suan Sampran, Nakhon Pathom, would still go on as scheduled. But all foreign exhibitors from Holland, Taiwan, Malaysia and Madagascar have already cancelled their booths.
Orchid growers wilting as B800m in losses forecast
PITSINEE JITPLEECHEEP
Orchid growers say they will lose as much as 800 million baht if Suvarnabhumi Airport remains closed until Dec 10.
Suwan Hiranworawuttikul, president of the Royal Horticulture Association of Thailand, said orchid growers were losing between 50 million and 100 million baht a day because their flowers cannot be shipped out of Suvarnabhumi Airport.
''Orchid demand peaks in December and about 20-30% of orchid sales come from this period. Moreover, orchid prices during the peak season are about 300% higher than in normal periods,'' he said.
Thailand each year exports orchids worth four billion baht and market demand has been rising by an average of 20% a year. The busiest time of the year for shipping orchids abroad by air is between Dec 10 and 21.
''Orchid growers have experienced 100% damage from the airport closure. However, we're not worried that our buyers will shift to buy orchids from other countries as Thailand has no direct competitors for high-quality orchids,'' Mr Suwan said.
However, if the shutdown is prolonged, there is concern that international buyers will buy other flowers or orchids from Malaysia and Singapore instead.
Mr Suwan said some growers were attempting to transport their flowers to other airports such as Chiang Mai and Phuket but this was increasing their costs.
He said that December Horticulture Fair scheduled for tomorrow to Sunday at Suan Sampran, Nakhon Pathom, would still go on as scheduled. But all foreign exhibitors from Holland, Taiwan, Malaysia and Madagascar have already cancelled their booths.
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