Hong Kong is set to celebrate its first Lunar New Year next month since COVID-19 pandemic restrictions have been lifted. Flower farmer Leung Yat-shun planted his fields of gladioli and lilies last November in hopes of cashing in on the celebrations. But the recent cold weather proved a blow after weeks of dry conditions.
Now, the 72-year-old wholesaler is no longer optimistic about ringing in bumper sales ahead of the Year of the Dragon, which starts on February 10. The weather not only delayed his harvest but was also likely to shrink the output of flowers fit to sell.
He predicted he would end up with a yield of only 30 percent of the 100,000 stalks of gladioli and 50,000 stalks of oriental “chill out” lilies he planted, compared with 50 percent in an average year.
Read the full article at scmp.com