Live flower growers believe that the drought restrictions that came into effect at the beginning of the month will cause a drop in sales that will affect small and seasonal flowers the most. From the Federation of Nurseries of Catalonia they admit that they need measures to save water, but they criticize the “inaction” of the administrations due to the lack of preventive actions.
From the federation they consider that the irrigation of green areas, which the decree due to drought prohibits both in public and private spaces, should already be done with gray water, instead of with drinking water. In addition, they claim to be a “necessary” sector and affirm that green areas are needed for it to rain.
The declaration of exceptionality due to hydrological drought in the Ter-Llobregat system and in the Fluvià-Muga aquifer that came into force on March 7 prohibits, among other restrictions, the irrigation of green areas and only allows water to irrigate the trees by drip or other precision systems.
Faced with this situation, from the Federation of Nurseries of Catalonia they anticipate a drop in sales, given that “if someone doubted whether to plant or not, they will not plant,” says its president, David Borda.
Specifically, the product most affected by the drought in terms of sales is the small seasonal plant that is marketed in spring “because it has no room for manoeuvre. It is planted and sold and if it is not thrown away”. As far as trees are concerned, they do not have to be thrown away, although the producer has to maintain it as long as it is not sold.
All in all, they are optimistic and trust that the rain will arrive between April and May. Otherwise, this horticulturist, owner of a farm in Castellserà (Urgell), assures that there will be a “debacle” and that the economic damage will be “catastrophic”.
Faced with this scenario, the main criticism of horticulturists is the “inaction” on the part of governments for not having acted preventively in recent years to deal with new droughts. “Since the last period of drought in 2008, large cities should be prepared to irrigate gardens with gray water,” explained the president of the federation, who regrets that these administrations are the same ones that are “hanging the sector with paperwork and sanctions ” while they, he affirms, “do nothing and do not set an example”.
In this way, Borda has vindicated the sector of the flower and the plant and has ensured that the woodland “is not a whim. If we want it to rain we need green areas. For this, it has to be planted and cared for and if we have gray water it should already be derived from these gardens”, he concluded.
The Federacio de Viveristes de Catalunya brings together more than 80% of the production and marketing of live plants in Catalonia. They represent 173 groceries that cultivate 2,000 hectares and export 26% of their production.
