"If they ban watering the gardens, who will buy plants?" asks Jesús de Vega, manager of Plantes Vega, a wholesale company located in Mercabarna-flor. This is the question that worries the producers and distributors of this sector in Catalonia the most. During March, the Generalitat decreed the exceptional situation due to drought in an area that affects almost six million people, including Barcelona and its metropolitan area. If it continues without rain and the situation worsens, it is expected that the Catalan Water Agency (ACA) will recommend a state of emergency. This end is expected to be reached in September, the Government said yesterday. And in this phase it is very restrictive with everything to do with irrigation.
In this scenario, according to documentation available on the Generalitat's website, the "total suppression of irrigation" will be decreed. In addition, the "ban on the use of water for the irrigation of public and private parks and green areas" will be implemented. ACA sources state that the restrictions would not be implemented in cases "with regenerated water irrigation systems".
"We are worried about what could happen", acknowledges the president of the Mercabarna-flor wholesalers' association, Miquel Batlle. "We are very much looking forward to the restrictions", he adds. Batlle explains that the field of plant production would be more affected than that of flowers. The latter is more of a minority in Catalonia. Josep Reig, manager of Reigmat Flor, a producer and wholesale company with a long tradition, remembers how a couple of decades ago the drought already burdened some businesses in this area. "We are not in this situation yet", he clarifies with the hope that it will not happen again.
Remembering the past, Miquel Batlle regrets that "for many years" the administrations have been aware of the water problem and the climate emergency. However, in his opinion, "nothing has been done" to prevent the matter from escalating. Jesús de Vega has the same perception. "All this already happened, but it seems that nothing has been done", he criticizes.
"There will always be water in the Maresme water wells, but if it doesn't rain, its quality can get worse," exemplifies Jesús de Vega. In fact, Josep Reig reports that the water table has been "going down for 15 or 20 years" in this area, which concentrates plant crops, some flowers and also companies that have opted for technology in this area. Reig adds that in recent years there have already been producers who have changed their crops to plant species that require less water. For Batlle, this may become a trend in the near future.
Started in Barcelona and moved to the Maresme due to the urban growth of the Catalan capital, the cultivation of flowers experienced its peak between the 1920s and the mid-1980s, recalls Josep Reig. At that time Catalonia "exported to the rest of Spain and Europe". But then the production moved further south and in the north Holland began to take market share. The reaction of the sector, at that time, was "to start producing plants" coinciding with the opening of the Flower and Ornamental Plant Market of Catalonia, located in Vilassar de Mar, in 1983.
Times have changed. Last year Mercabarna-flor distributed 6.5 million plants, flowers and accessories. According to data from the center opened in 2008 in Sant Boi de Llobregat, it is about a third of the market in Catalonia. Only 29% of the product was produced in Spain. However, it is important to take advantage of peak market times, such as wedding season, All Saints' Day or Sant Jordi.
And facing the day of April 23, like a mirage, the wholesalers of Mercabarna-flor are optimistic. They estimate that six million roses will be sold in Catalonia, a third distributed from Sant Boi de Llobregat. It is the same number as last year. As Sant Jordi falls on a Sunday, the sector feared that buyers would leave for the weekend without purchasing the flowers. But the orders they have already received draw, once again, a massive day. "Next year we will probably sell seven million, but six million being Sant Jordi on Sunday is a success", says Miquel Batlle.
Prices will remain stable despite inflation. Sant Jordi is a uniquely Catalan tradition, which makes it easy to have all the world's production available. So there is a lot to offer. You don't have to compete with other places, as it does for example for Sant Valentine. The fact that covid is already a thing of the past also makes it easier to transport. According to estimates, quality roses can be bought from four euros. Although the price will end up varying depending on the decoration.
Once again, red will be the predominant color, with 80% of the market. 62% of the roses will have their origin in Colombia. The second origin will be Holland (20%), and the third, Ecuador (15%). Only 3% will be cultivated in Spain.
