Giving bright red roses are considered to be a sign of affection in many parts of the world. However, with more than half of humanity under lockdown, the flower industry has suffered from losses amounting to USD 8.5 billion.
From the US to the Netherlands and from Ecuador and Kenya to India, the industry is reeling under massive pressure.
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Large stems (the flower is extracted from this part of the plant) are being pushed into pits and allowed to rot, many milk manufacturers in the US are washing it down the drain due to lack of demand and farmers in the Indian state of Karnataka have allowed it to be dumped due to lack of buyers.
The floral industry which is classified as the primary sector is crying for attention amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The flower trade is largely a technology-driven process with over 40% of it being processed in the Netherlands.
It arrives in refrigerators from different parts of the world, processed in the Netherlands and then goes back in the cold storage to different parts of the world. This entire process has now come to a standstill.
With many social gatherings, seminars, religious events and marriages being postponed around the world, it is those dependent on this sector who have been affected the most.
Recently, the Dutch growers also destroyed millions of tulips as the coronavirus crisis continues to grip the flower industry.
There is no clarity regarding the revival of the sector as the number of Covid-19 cases globally has been surging.
The total number of positive cases worldwide crossed 2 million while the global death toll is now over 1.5 lakh, according to the latest tally by Johns Hopkins.