Flower Farms See Lunar New Year Sales Decrease Because of Virus
2021-02-06
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1The Lunar New Year holiday is usually a busy time for flower farms in Hong Kong.
2The farms prepare to sell plum blossoms, orchids and daffodils at flower markets during the cheerful season.
3But the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions on such markets this year has affected many farms.
4Farmers worry that they may be left with an oversupply of flowers.
5Lunar New Year fairs - known as "flower markets" in Cantonese - are usually held before the holidays.
6Thousands of flower sellers and goods dealers sell their products to the public.
7This year, the Hong Kong government will place restrictions on such markets.
8They will only be permitted to operate with half the usual number of people and must shorten their business hours.
9The policy concerns farm owners like Yeung Siu-lung.
10He runs one of Hong Kong's largest orchid farms.
11He had grown over 30,000 pots of orchids in 10 greenhouses in Hong Kong's rural New Territories area to prepare for the Lunar New Year holiday.
12Yeung had first planned to have 16 selling spaces in flower markets.
13Now, he is planning other ways to sell his supply of orchids, including selling them online or urging buyers to visit the farms directly.
14Lunar New Year traditionally brings an increase in sales for some businesses in Hong Kong.
15There is usually a big seasonal sale of goods such as holiday foods, gifts and home decorations, which often include flowers.
16Flower farms like Yeung's usually make about 50 percent of their profits from the Lunar New Year season alone, says business expert Francis Lun.
17Pinky Chan is one of Yeung's customers who drove an hour to his farm to buy orchids.
18Chan thought it was still important to create a cheerful atmosphere during difficult times.
19"We Chinese people feel happier if our homes are filled with red and green during the Lunar New Year," Chan said.
20"Because of the pandemic, we are all not very happy, we are not able to meet with our families. So I hope buying a pot of flowers for my parents can make them feel a bit happier."
21I'm Jonathan Evans.
1The Lunar New Year holiday is usually a busy time for flower farms in Hong Kong. The farms prepare to sell plum blossoms, orchids and daffodils at flower markets during the cheerful season. But the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions on such markets this year has affected many farms. Farmers worry that they may be left with an oversupply of flowers. 2Lunar New Year fairs - known as "flower markets" in Cantonese - are usually held before the holidays. Thousands of flower sellers and goods dealers sell their products to the public. This year, the Hong Kong government will place restrictions on such markets. They will only be permitted to operate with half the usual number of people and must shorten their business hours. 3The policy concerns farm owners like Yeung Siu-lung. He runs one of Hong Kong's largest orchid farms. He had grown over 30,000 pots of orchids in 10 greenhouses in Hong Kong's rural New Territories area to prepare for the Lunar New Year holiday. 4Yeung had first planned to have 16 selling spaces in flower markets. Now, he is planning other ways to sell his supply of orchids, including selling them online or urging buyers to visit the farms directly. 5Lunar New Year traditionally brings an increase in sales for some businesses in Hong Kong. There is usually a big seasonal sale of goods such as holiday foods, gifts and home decorations, which often include flowers. 6Flower farms like Yeung's usually make about 50 percent of their profits from the Lunar New Year season alone, says business expert Francis Lun. 7Pinky Chan is one of Yeung's customers who drove an hour to his farm to buy orchids. Chan thought it was still important to create a cheerful atmosphere during difficult times. 8"We Chinese people feel happier if our homes are filled with red and green during the Lunar New Year," Chan said. "Because of the pandemic, we are all not very happy, we are not able to meet with our families. So I hope buying a pot of flowers for my parents can make them feel a bit happier." 9I'm Jonathan Evans. 10Alice Fung and Nicole Ko reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jonathan Evans adapted this story for Learning English. Bryan Lynn was the editor. 11________________________________________________________________ 12Words in This Story 13customers - n. people who buy goods or services from a business 14decorations - n. things added to something else to make it more attractive 15greenhouses - n. buildings or part of buildings that have glass walls and a glass roof and are used for growing plants 16pots - n. deep, usually rounded containers