Ecuador’s Blooming Flower Industry Feels Pandemic’s Punch

GONZALO SOLANO, Associated Press Floral August 28, 2020

QUITO, Ecuador — Flower growers in Ecuador are trimming back their fields, cutting plants at the root and in some cases tossing out piles of colorful blooms entirely as the pandemic delivers a devastating blow to one of the nation’s biggest export industries.

Demand for the small South American country’s prized flowers has struggled to rebound after plummeting earlier this year – and remains at just 70% the normal rate, according to the Ecuadorian Flower Growers and Exporters Association.

Over 10,000 jobs have been cut and more than $130 million in revenue lost.

To read the rest of the story, please go to: Associated Press

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