Australians looking for the perfect Mother’s Day bouquet are set to spend more than usual for a smaller variety of blooms, as sky-high air transport costs and disastrous weather at home limit the nation’s flower supplies. Shoppers are projected to spend $754 million on gifts for this Mother’s Day, according to Roy Morgan research, with flowers ranking as the #1 gift of choice.
As Australia lacks the climate and growing regions to keep up with demand, importers have already secured plane cargo loads full of roses, chrysanthemums, and other classic blooms.
But with just days to go until the annual celebration, industry leaders warn the sector is not immune to the supply chain pressures constraining businesses nationwide.
Anubhav Sharma, CEO of distributor Blush Petals, said the cost of importing blooms from floral hotspots like Kenya, Colombia, and Malaysia remains a significant concern. “One of the major problems that we faced is the freight situation, the air freight capacity, has been very, very tough,” he said.
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