In the Ecuadorian province of Cotopaxi, floriculture is one of the sectors contributing the most to the creation of employment, given that it also markets one of the world’s most demanded products.
However, despite being one of the groups that contribute the most to the national and local economy, they feel like they are tied hand and foot, because they are victims of crime, which generates huge losses every month.
This was confirmed by José Merizalde, of the flower company Merizalde Ramírez, who said that they have already denounced this fact and have not yet received an effective response.
According to the Cotopaxi flower growers association, two million dollars’ worth of flowers are stolen across the province each year. According to the floriculturist, the "flower thieves" enter at night and steal the product in large quantities, and there’s nothing they can do, since the security guards are not qualified to act or be armed. "The guards prefer to turn a deaf ear, because if they tried to protect the farm, they may get hurt by the criminals."
According to Paulina Hinojosa, owner of a flower company in the Salcedo sector, there are dozens of trucks that go out to sell the product in stores, and their owners have no farms, or greenhouses, or crops, and do not even issue invoices, and therefore sell the product a lot cheaper. Hinojosa stressed that the police as a whole, together with other control authorities, should carry out more operations to prevent this, as this situation is worrisome and has taken a huge toll on profitability. "We are monitored all the time, but criminals can do whatever they want."
Currently, floriculturists are getting ready for Mother's Day sales.
Source: La Hora