BANGKOK, Feb 12 – Rose sales are forecast to be lucrative during the week of Valentine’s Day when prices are normally hiked in response to high demand.
Kasikorn Research Center (KResearch) conducted a survey on consumer habits in the capital of Bangkok for Valentine’s Day 2012 from February 1-7 among 400 persons – mostly students as they were the target group – paying attention to this festival.
The survey found that most students will buy less expensive roses at the price of 50-100 baht, while university students and office workers tend to buy a bouquet of 5-20 flowers worth around 500-1,500 baht. The budget to buy flowers this year is about 355 baht per person on average, about 9.6 per cent higher than that of last year.
The price of roses normally rises one week gradually before the Valentine’s Day to reach a peak of several times their normal price on February 13-14.
This year, however, rose prices at the Pak Klong Talad, Bangkok’s most popular flower market increased earlier than usual. A rose from Netherlands increased from 700-800 baht to 1,000-1,200 baht per stem, while a rose from China increased from 100-150 baht to 150-200 baht while a Thai-grown rosebud from 15-20 baht to 25-50 baht each.
