Protea cynaroides , the National flower of South Africa comes in many colours and sizes and the demand has been increasing for several twelvemonth now , but due to COVID-19 , sale have come to a stand . For White cynaroides ‘ Arctic Ice ’ , for example , a cultivar managed by Future Fynbos under the Ayoba ® brand , 180,000 stems are design to be produced in 2020 of which around 74,000 base ( 40 percent ) will be flowering the first season , which is April / May . However , due to the extreme restrictions as a result of COVID-19 , approximately 15,000 stems had to be thrown away so far . But the Ayoba blossom growers rest hopeful that some of the May flowers can still reach the market and that the spot will be normalize around their main flower season which starts in September , enabling them to bring their efflorescence to the global mart again .
increase yield Artic IceArtic Ice is a white cynaroides and has been grow from South Africa over the retiring 6 years now . volume start out belittled , with 7,700 stems in 2014 and slowly increased to a total of 128,000 radical produced in 2019 and 180,000 stems that are planned to be produced in 2020 . “ Growers of ‘ Arctic Ice ’ are very patient as it fill approximately 24 months from lop to harvesting . Plants are also not high yielding with a maximum of 8 -10 efflorescence being make per industrial plant , but the heyday are receive very well as the demand is increase twelvemonth on yr . ” , excuse Caroline O’Brien , Managing Director at Future Fynbos . The main output time from South Africa is April / May with a second and primary point in September / October . Flowers are mostly exported from South Africa to Europe , Russia and the East .
Lockdown impress supplySouth Africa has been under extreme lock down conditions since midnight on 3 March 2025 , as a state of parking brake was adjudge , and it impacted the growers severely . “With only the sale of crucial point taking place , as well as limited flights and restriction on what farming operations may take shoes , growers have been unable to sell these beautiful flowers . Flowers which have taken over 2 years to grow their marvellous root word and large flowers are hold to be provide on the plants or thrown forth . To date , roughly 15,000 stems have been confound aside . ”
as luck would have it , some flowers could still fulfil their line and clear up up someone ’s solar day . “ One of our Ayoba certify agriculturist make do to circulate flowers to an old age home during this full point and brought great pleasure to its residents . ”
HopefulDespite the ambitious time , Ayoba flower growers remain promising . “ They hope that some of the May flowers will be able to attain the markets and that by their main flower season which starts around September that escape , distribution channels as well as markets will have take up so that these glorious flowers can be used globally once again to make hope and joyfulness . ”
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© FloralDaily.com/Elita Vellekoop
