SA flower industry battling to meet soaring demand as funerals surge

Fresh from averting a coffin crisis, South Africa, it appears, now faces a new challenge… A lack of flowers.

With some 37000 Covid-19 related deaths, the R260m floriculture market is struggling to cope with funeral bouquets and wreaths for graves.

During the first hard lockdown, millions of flowers went to waste, said Ansen Lamprecht, flower wholesaler and owner of Ansen Flowers, as demand and prices crashed.

So cautious producers cut back on planting.

“Now suddenly, from two weeks ago before the real big spike, end of December, the demand is so big. There are too many funerals, everybody is looking for coffin sprays… [but flower growers] didn’t plan for that.”

Agonising

With Level 3 restrictions, the impact on the sector has been “agonising” Lamprecht said.

“One of my customers in Cape Town said last week that they had to 45 coffin sprays (the arrangement that goes on top of coffins). Do you know how much that is for one company to do in one day? It’s astronomical!”

The gold standard for funerals, chrysanthemums, are getting pricey, if you can find them at all, he added.

Lamprecht said his outfit is changing its approach to funeral arrangements to include flowers such as roses, normally used at weddings and other events that have been canceled or down-scaled.

Very, very busy.. we are doing 20 funerals. I mean every day there are funerals,” said one Western Cape florist.

“We are severely understaffed and drowning in funeral flower arrangement requests,” said another.

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Unchartered territory

Meeting the needs of bereaved families struck by Covid-19 has pushed the industry in uncharted waters, says Janie duToit,spokesperson for the SA Flower Union.

“At the moment, we are struggling to get flowers. There are more funerals than we are accustomed to.”

Lamprecht said Covid-19 has been”traumatising stumbling block… The industry is scarred.”

“As flower producers we must plan for the future and you have to guess what people will need. But now, before the first lockdown last year, farmers had to throw away so many flowers flowers during the hard lockdown. We were not allowed to sell, flowers initially. They have become hesitant to plant.”

The result has been a spike in prices, adding to the pressure of already financially-sapped customers.

“People tell you to put some cheap flowers in wreaths and bouquets, like Chrysanthemums. Now you say them: ‘No Ma’am, Chrysanthemums are too expensive.”