A rose by any other name costs a lot more

VALENTINE'S DAY

TAK : With Valentine's Day approaching, Phop Phra district is expecting the prices of roses from its farms to more than triple and sales to reach 20-25 million baht.

Rosegrowers in Tak’sPhop Phra district bundle up their flowers in preparation for Valentine’s Day on Saturday. Rose prices in the district can quadruple for Valentine’s Dayandsales can top 20 million baht. ASSAWIN PINIJWONG

Local agricultural expert Wikarn Saengmanee said roses are likely to be several times more expensive this year due to high demand.

The district, one of the country's largest producers of farmed roses, has seen orders triple in the past few days. The cool season has been colder and longer this year, which reduced the output of farmed roses in the district last month.

But this month, the generally milder weather has enabled farmers to grow roses in attractive colours and sizes, pushing up demand for them.

"The middlemen have begun hoarding the roses produced in Phop Phra district for resale at high prices on Valentine's Day," Mr Wikarn said.

The farmers, however, receive only a fraction of the windfall.

Phop Phra district has 3,300-4,000 rai of rose plantations with a daily yield of 300-400 roses per rai.

On average, nearly 2 million roses are collected every day.

Depending on quality and size, roses leaving the farms are priced at three to four baht apiece. Prices rise when they are sold at markets and further in the lead up to Valentine's Day.

A rose grower said prices were expected to be higher than last year due to a supply shortage. The extremely cold weather last month was blamed for a sharp drop in yields.

The district's roses are exported to countries and territories such as Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and Hong Kong.