- Erratic rain and extreme heat are impacting the floriculture industry, which stands as the second-largest producer of flowers globally.
- In addition, consumers making the move to artificial flowers is not only affecting vendors’ livelihood, but also raises the question of the environmental cost of recycling.
- Flower vendors are having to reduce the number of flowers they procure to sell or lower the sale price as the lifespan of flowers is also affected by extreme weather conditions.
Changing weather conditions have impacted the livelihoods of flower vendors in Maharashtra as erratic rain and heat has led to damaged crops and produce being sold for a lesser price.
Flower vendors Deepa and Rajesh have been selling flowers in Mumbai’s Dadar market for the past 20 years. “We usually get good quality flowers during the monsoon,” says Deepa. “However, in recent years, with excessive rain on some days and regular exposure to water, the life span of flowers has reduced from two-three days to one day. As a result, we now procure only 40-50 flower bundles during the rainy season, as compared to other days, where we would usually buy 100 bundles.” On regular days, they sell a bunch of roses for Rs. 80, but during the rain, they have to reduce the price to Rs. 30.
Last year, 2023, was characterised by an erratic monsoon with higher-than-average rainfall, significant monthly variations, and increased instances of extreme weather events, highlighting the city’s vulnerability to climate variability. Mumbai received around 3000 mm of rain during the 2023 monsoon season, higher than the annual rainfall average of 2318 mm for the city. The monsoon arrived late but delivered intense rainfall quickly. The city recorded 90% of its June average in just five days. The heaviest rains occurred in July, crossing 1550 mm, exceeding the typical monthly average and even higher than the total rainfall received in July 2005 (1454 mm), the year of the deluge.
Over a period of 10 years (2011 to 2020), Mumbai has experienced an average of six heavy (64.5-115.5 mm), five very heavy (115.6-204.4 mm), and four extremely heavy (more than 204.5 mm) rain events per year, according to a vulnerability assessment conducted for the Mumbai Climate Action Plan (MCAP). The four-year period between 2017 and 2020 has seen a steady increase in the extremely heavy rainfall events.
Several studies across the globe have estimated the damage caused to agricultural produce due to climate change. In a study conducted in Northern Europe, with warmer, wetter conditions predicted due to climate change, the availability of wildflowers has shown a steep decline. In India too, the impact of unseasonal rains and warming have had an impact on flora. This year buransh, Uttarakhand’s state tree, has blossomed earlier than expected due to climatic shifts. The damage is not just limited to farmers cultivating these flowers, but also on the vendors selling them.
Vendors and farmers have an arrangement, where the vendors have to buy everything they get from the latter, even if the flowers aren’t of good quality. This in turn leads to vendors selling flowers at lower prices and suffering losses.
Fresh flowers have been a long-standing tradition in Indian culture, and people have been using it for rituals and celebrations through the years. According to estimates, the Indian floriculture industry ranks second in the world’s production of floriculture. In 2022-2023, India exported floriculture products worth over Rs. 707 crores (Rs. 7 billion), noted information from the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA). With the impact of climate change, the industry poses a significant risk to suffering losses.
Extreme heat can damage flowers
The impacts on flowers are also visible in the summers. In 2023, India had its warmest February and driest and warmest August since 1901, while the nights in July and August were the second warmest since 1901. According to the IMD, parts of Maharashtra, along with other parts of India have shown a strong increasing trend in heat stress since 1950. This year, Mumbai recorded a heatwave in April with temperatures touching 39 degrees Celsius.
This extreme heat can limit the ability of the plant to produce fruit due to disruption of the pollination process and causing wilting, reduced growth, and even death.
“Flowers are 75% moisture. So any stress affects the quality of flowers. Hence, to reduce these climate impacts, most of the floriculture crops these days are coming under a poly-house where there is a controlled environment including temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide etc.” shares Anjana Dewasthale, a horticulturist and a nature educator based in Mumbai.
Priyadarshini Vilas Mankar, 52, is a floriculturist who owns a four-acre rose farm in a controlled environment at Talegaon Dabhade in Pune district. She sends flowers to vendors in Mumbai during the local Ganpati festival. “Extreme heat conditions have increased over the years, causing negative impact on the flowers and plants,” she said. “Flowers and plants wilt and wither in extreme heat which affects the production and their quality.”
Research indicates that elevated temperatures can induce diverse effects on the flower production of different species. The impact of excessive heat, cold, continuous or unpredictable rain fall with storm damage, can impact the flower production in the blooming span and can exacerbate several issues of poor flowering, inadequate floral and colour development, and diminished flower size.
According to research, higher ambient temperatures can also have a direct impact on volatile fragrances that the flowers emit, deterioration of pigments leading to dull shades, shifts in insect pest and disease outbreaks.
Vijay Bahadur Yadav, 34, has been selling lotus flowers from 2006 in Mumbai’s Dadar market. He says that unlike roses, exposure of lotus to water does not impact it much due to the natural waxy layer making the leaf water repellent. “Summers and rains are the best seasons for lotus,” he adds. “However, extreme exposure to heat makes the flower dehydrated and the stem turns black when there is less water in the ponds or wetlands. In a bundle of 2,000 flowers, at least 200 flowers get spoiled during summers. Those then have to be sold at cheaper prices.”
Consumers making the move to artificial flowers
While extreme weather conditions affect production, changing consumer behaviour also affects flower vendors.
“One of the trends these days is an increased use of artificial flowers during festivals. However, it has a huge impact on the environment when disposed of,” shares Dewasthale.
“We only buy natural flowers for special events like ceremonies or festivals. However, for the festivals which are usually longer, like Ganpati festival, we prefer artificial flowers because they last longer and saving us from having to decorate repeatedly”, shares Mrunali, a consumer.
Consumers also often switch to artificial flowers, which are affordable in comparison to fresh flowers.
Rohit Dhura who runs a flower business has been selling marigold and other flowers for the past six years at Dadar’s flower market. “As people become increasingly consumed by their jobs, they find themselves with less time to tend to natural flowers,” he says. “Consequently, many are opting for artificial flowers due to their affordability and longevity. Unlike natural flowers, artificial flowers do not wilt, providing individuals with a sense of comfort and convenience. However, this shift towards artificial flowers has adverse effects on farmers and flower vendors.”
The purchase and usage of artificial flowers made of plastics and other non-biodegradable materials also raises the question of the environmental cost of recycling after its end-use. Due to limited recycling options, and improper waste disposal, artificial flowers pose significant waste management challenges, making it more unsustainable.
With consumers switching from natural to artificial flowers, flower vendors also often face the burden of discarding the waste due to lack of demand. According to a 2016 research paper, roughly eight million tonnes of discarded flowers are dumped into rivers and other water bodies in India each year.
In October 2023, Mumbai’s famous Dadar flower market also faced a 50% slump in demand for fresh flowers, generating more than 90 metric tonnes of excess flowers that was discarded as waste on a single day, according to a media report.
Dhura says that the price of natural flowers has increased from the last 5-10 years due to increased cost of input, logistics, labour etc. and extreme climate events has made it worse.
“During foggy conditions, flower blooming is hindered, resulting in a decrease in production from an expected 50 carats (boxes) to only 20 carats,” Dhura says, referring to the areas of Maharashtra where he buys flowers from. “This reduction, coupled with heightened demand in the winter season, leads to prices being hiked. Consequently, people shift towards purchasing artificial flowers due to their lower prices, leading to losses for us. Additionally, if production is further affected by rain and yields subpar quality, consumer interest diminishes further.”
Banner image: A flower vendor in Mumbai. Apart from logistics and labour costs, extreme climate events have increased the prices for natural flowers in the last 5-10 years. Image by Dimple Behal.
