Conflicts increase flower prices in cemeteries

The movement of the flowers gains strength with the proximity of All Saints and All Souls’ Day. Most of those who come to arrange the graves carry a bouquet for their loved one who is no longer in this world.

However, the blockades that keep Cochabamba isolated, main flower producing region of the country, have caused an increase in the prices of different varieties of flowers.

Unlike previous years, when they arrived in large quantities and in trucks, now the little that is entered the Santa Cruz market by air.



Blocked routes have interrupted the transportation of fresh flowers, and shortages are beginning to be felt in the capital of Santa Cruz, where florists depend on a large part of the producers of the Cochabambino valley.

In the Sacred Heart of Jesus cemetery, known as La Cuchilla, the Saleswomen express their concern about blockages and rising costs.

Isabel Garnica, one of the sellers, points out that they have had to make adjustments to the prices because they are arriving at more expensive prices. The large crowns are at Bs 350, when they cost between Bs 250 and Bs 300.

Small bouquets of plastic flowers, which are also required for graves, They are priced at Bs 10, whereas before they were sold at two for Bs 15.

The small bouquets, which include three roses, For now they maintain their price at Bs 10 and, because they are the cheapest, They are the ones most requested by people. However, they do not rule out an increase.

Garnica has been selling flowers and putting together bouquets for three years. Know all the techniques so that they do not wither and remain fresh, how to place the bouquets in moist clay bases and water them constantly with water.

Katherine Pinto also knows all the movement and how to keep the flowers from wilting. “It’s getting more expensive, that’s why you don’t earn like beforebecause we can’t sell that expensive either,” he says.

Despite the blockades, he points out that shipments are already arriving for Todos Santos, but all by air. “People are buying, but many do not have and we reduce up to two small bouquets for Bs 15,” he indicates.

Katherine points out that people personalize the arrangement they want to buy, according to the taste and favorite color of the deceased. Some also ask for suggestions, but most He wants to have a detail with his deceased relative.

Traditional rubber chains are The two meters cost Bs 5 and there are crowns from 20, depending on the size. “Rubber has gone up and the price of the crown has also gone up, those that last year were Bs 20 now cost Bs 30. The price of natural flowers will also go up,” says Cecy, another seller.

In Cochabamba, fruit growers declared an emergency and went out to march in protest against the losses that the blockades are generating in the sector. Every day at least 150 tons of flowers do not reach the country’s markets, generating a loss of Bs 1,000,000 and affecting more than 8,000 families that depend on this activity. The road blockade has interrupted the transport of flowers, the demand for which increases significantly on the eve of the All Saints holiday, to key markets, such as La Paz, Oruro and Santa Cruz.

“Since 2019 we have been repeatedly affected by blockades that cause enormous losses. “We are in emergency,” indicated Eliseo Barrientos, executive secretary of the Federation of Flower Producers of Quillacollo.