NAKHON PATHOM, May 8 — Thailand’s orchid growers, already weary after two years of being battered by the pandemic, are bracing for fresh blows to their livelihood as the war in Ukraine and changing weather patterns further cloud their futures.
“No one has the heart to buy flowers, and transportation is very complicated,” said Somchai Lerdrungwitayachai as he stares in despair at the sea of purple at his orchid farm west of Bangkok. But times are tough: Somchai has been dipping into his savings for two years to keep paying his 50-odd employees.
Once accounting for 80 per cent of Somchai’s export income, China has been hit with coronavirus lockdowns in a number of cities, including its biggest: Shanghai. Air-freight costs have tripled or quadrupled in recent months, depending on the destination, said Wuthichai Pipatmanomai, vice-president of the Thai Orchid Exporter Association and co-owner of Sun International Flower, a major exporter.