Week before Christmas, Poinsettia sales decline

IT SEEMS the state of the economy is affecting how people choose to decorate their homes and offices during the festive Yuletide season this year.

And with only a few days to go before Christmas day, plant shop owners have reported a decline in the sale of Christmas favourite the Poinsettia plant, whose bright red leaves usually is a must have for decorations for this time of the year.

Shop owners breed these plants way in advance to meet the need of customers each year. It takes eight to ten weeks for the plants to blossom.

This year, so far, the plant is fetching low price at the markets. In San Fernando, several stores have the poinsettia for sale at $45, as compared to last year's price of $100 and up. Orchids which has become a Christmas gift item within recent years are being sold at $50 and up as compared to $100 and up, last year.

Many of the zinnias and marigold are now sold fifty percent less, at $20 each, at the south shops. Hansrajie Ramba, manager of Aranguez Agri-Centre, said plant sales have declined by one hundred percent.

"It is less than a week before Christmas and normally we would have sold thousands of plants for wholesale and retail customers already. This year, we still have over half of out Christmas time plant stock still to be sold," she said.

Ramba added that she has reduced the price of the poinsettias, giving customers five plants for $100. "This plant is seasonal and this is why we must sell them out before the Christmas season," she explained.

She is hoping that people will come in over this weekend for last minute shopping as is a Trini norm. Southern Plants Shop in Penal was selling poinsettias for as low as $30 each.

Shop manager Roma Maraj said business has been way slower than last year. "I believe people buy plants and decorations way in advance for Christmas," she said. Maraj added that with less than a week to go before the big day, the emphasis appears to be on food and drinks rather than plant decorations.

Like Ramba, Maraj too is hopeful that sales will pick up this weekend since she has many poinsettia plants waiting to be sold.

Poinsettias is a favourite decoration for Christmas as many, especially Catholics, see the shape of its flower and leaves as shaped like the Star of Bethlehem which led the Wise Men to the baby Jesus. The red coloured leaves, for some, symbolize the blood of Christ, while the white leaves represent His purity.