Ecuadorian radio channel ‘Radio Sucre’ is reporting that flower farmers in the country’s Cotopaxi province are suffering because of the extreme weather events affecting the region. More than 200 hectares of flower crops are said to be affected, hampering production and leaving many growers fearing for the future.
The Ecuadorian growers regularly wake up to frost in the early morning, only to be greeted by scorching sun once noontime comes around. The variation is way too extreme for the Cotopaxi region’s cultivated roses, intended for international export, to withstand.
Temperatures range all the way from 0 to 26 degrees Celsius in the span of a day, causing many of the planted flowers to grow deformities and/or not form buds at all. Mites and similar pests have also affected the Ecuadorian roses, hindering the proper growth of the plants even more.
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