COVID-19 Spread Deals Direct Blow to Chinese Flower Farmers

Liaoning Province Jinzhou Flower Farmers' Logistics Blocked, Tens of Thousands of Flowers at Risk of Disposal
COVID-19 Deaths Reported... Concerns Over China's Q1 GDP

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] As COVID-19 spreads across China, Chinese flower farmers have been hit hard.

According to People's Daily on the 20th, flower farmers in Yixian County, Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province, are unable to ship flowers due to the spread of COVID-19.

Yixian County, known as a major flower production area in China, cultivates over 10 million flowers annually and supplies flowers to the three northeastern provinces of China as well as Shanxi, Hebei, and Henan provinces. Flowers grown in Yixian County are also known to be exported to Korea.

People's Daily reported that March to April is the peak season for flower farmers, but due to the spread of COVID-19, flower farmers have effectively lost this year's harvest. Tens of thousands of flowers already harvested are piled up in warehouses due to logistics restrictions, and there is even a shortage of storage space, People's Daily added.

People's Daily also reported that 178 flower farming households in the area escaped poverty through flower cultivation, but this year the situation is very unfavorable and they need a helping hand.

It appears that flower farmers were directly hit as the Liaoning provincial government raised the level of quarantine and control. When COVID-19 cases surged in neighboring Jilin Province, the Liaoning government locked down the province.

On the 14th, Shenyang City in Liaoning Province ordered the closure of elementary, middle, and high schools, and on the 15th, even closed Shenyang Airport. Additionally, 31 toll gates on highways leading out of the province were closed, completely blocking entry and exit to other regions.

The COVID-19 spread in China is serious, with deaths reported in Jilin Province.

The National Health Commission of China (NHC) announced the previous day that a 65-year-old man and an 87-year-old man infected with COVID-19 had died. This is the first COVID-19 death in China since January 25 of last year. The NHC explained that both deceased were elderly with underlying conditions, and one had not been vaccinated against COVID-19.

From March 1 to 18, the total number of COVID-19 infections in China reached 29,127, with over 10,000 cases reported in Jilin Province alone. Four provinces reported over 1,000 cases, and 10 provinces reported fewer than 1,000 cases, meaning that out of 31 provinces in China, 28 provinces have confirmed cases.

This resurgence of COVID-19 is expected to hit rural areas the hardest. Logistics companies such as freight truck drivers and manufacturers are also expected to be directly affected.

Some in China predict that the COVID-19 resurgence starting in March will have a considerable impact on the first quarter (January to March) gross domestic product (GDP).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.