The price of roses has increased more than threefold due to lower seasonal yields and increased demand ahead of Valentine’s Day today, industry experts said on Saturday.
One bundle of 20 roses this year sold at auction for NT$1,800, a historical high, Taipei Flower Auction said, adding that many retailers have opted to replace roses with other flowers such as tulips or bellflowers.
The lowest that a bundle has been auctioned for in the past few days was NT$687.30, but even that was more than three times last year’s average auction price of NT$178.20, it said.
Photo: Chen Kuan-pei, Taipei Times
“Yields were lower this year due to climate effects, but the flowers we have grown are good quality,” floriculturist Wu Hsiao-feng of Changhua County’s Tianwei Township (田尾) said.
This year’s prices were a welcome surprise for growers following the low prices in 2020, when a bundle dropped to as low as NT$100 at auction, he said.
“Another reason for this year’s high prices is that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected imports of roses, which has driven up the price of domestically grown roses,” florist Lo Kuo-chih (羅國誌) said.
Imported roses have also gone up in price due to scarcity, he said, adding that one bundle of imported roses goes for up to NT$2,500 at auction this year.
“In the past it was about NT$600 for a dozen roses on Valentine’s Day. This year it is almost double that at minimum,” florist Cheng Yuan-tsung (鄭淵琮) said. “Lots of people have already canceled their orders.”
Despite the high prices, one of Cheng’s customers this year spent NT$7,000 to buy their partner 99 roses, he said.
“True love is priceless,” he said.
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