Who drives the rose price "roller coaster" florist has no choice but to pick

"someone turned green and drove the excavator into the Rose Land in a fit of anger." Li Zhenhai, a villager from Xiaodoushan Village, eighth Street, Anning City, Yunnan Province, told the surprised reporter.

In the period of picking edible roses some time ago, the florists did not have a bumper harvest. The price of edible roses falling from more than 30 yuan per kilogram to less than 3 yuan has dealt a huge blow to farmers in eight streets of Anning City, Yunnan Province.

Li Zhenhai also has personal feelings about the collapse in prices: "he sold more than two mu of roses for only 2500 yuan." He told reporters that he had expected to earn nearly 10,000 yuan, but he even confiscated the cost due to the collapse in prices.

Rose prices skyrocketed, smokers changed plants, florists sold branches

"two or three years ago, there was a good time for growing roses."

Li Zhenhai told reporters that around 2012, the price of edible roses in Anning eight streets reached a high point, with one kilogram selling for more than 30 yuan. "the manufacturers competed to help the farmers pick."

Because of making money, many local farmers who used to grow flue-cured tobacco have changed their crops one after another.

"the investment of flue-cured tobacco is large and labor-consuming, and the gross income of 5,000 to 6,000 yuan per mu is relatively stable. Edible roses are conservatively estimated to produce 600 kilograms per mu, which is equal to flue-cured tobacco with less than 10 yuan per kilogram, while the actual purchase price in previous years is basically more than 15 yuan. " Li Zhenhai told reporters that according to the 2013 price, the output value of edible roses per mu reached more than 12000 yuan.

"at that time, not only roses sold well, but also seedlings sold at a good price." Li Zhenhai recalls that eating rose seedlings is actually branches cut off when pruning every year. The waste that was originally cut away or burned firewood was bought by non-local merchants at a price of about 50 cents. "some farmers can earn NT $20,000 to NT $30,000 just by selling branches."

"the seedlings are out. What if no one comes to the eighth Street to collect roses?" The local government and some village cadres were the first to realize the potential crisis, but found that there was nothing they could do.

"persuasion is useless in the face of income." Li Zhenhai said: for many farmers: why don't they earn money if they have money? If I don't sell, others won't sell?

It is difficult for the agreement to take effect, so enterprises can only buy from the market.

Another identity of Li Zhenhai is the head of the Edible Rose Cooperative in Xiaodoushan Village, Bajie, Anning City, Yunnan Province. for him, in addition to his own roses to sell, there are other home-grown flowers to be collected.

"We will give priority to the acquisition of roses for members." Li Zhenhai said that because the time on the market of roses is very concentrated, especially the output of head spray is very large, coupled with the fact that roses take up more space, it is basically necessary to transfer them as soon as possible after simple treatment. "when there are many co-operatives, we have to carry away two trucks a day."

But what left Li Zhenhai scratching his head was that the farmers did not abide by the price agreement signed.

"as long as other acquirers bid higher than the agreed price, many farmers will fail to perform." Li Zhenhai told reporters that his cooperative signed an agreement with farmers in 2011. "if the price is 50 cents higher elsewhere, the farmers will sell it to others in breach of contract." After suffering losses, the cooperative to which Li Zhenhai belongs can only be acquired in the market.

"there are also large flower cake production enterprises that sign purchase agreements with farmers in advance in order to control costs, but farmers still default." In the face of scattered farmers' breach of contract, most acquisition enterprises have no choice but to transfer land in other areas and build their own or cooperative raw material production bases.

Also since 2012, the planting area of edible roses in Anning eighth Street has expanded rapidly, reaching a record nearly 9000 mu this year. In fact, this is not all edible rose planting area, in Qujing, Chuxiong, Honghe and other states and cities, often thousands of acres of "rose garden"rose valley" has also formed a scale.

As for the cliff drop in the price of edible roses this year, for most farmers, there is no place for the flowers in their fields without the protection of the price agreement.

The small-scale peasant economy makes it difficult for flower farmers to access the market.

In Li Zhenhai's view, the collapse in rose prices this year is not only related to the fact that some large enterprises are no longer buying in eighth Street, but also related to a very small number of enterprises deliberately lowering their prices. "when the first splash came down this year, many of the purchase points were iron generals who guarded the door, and the roses could not be saved and had to be thrown away. When most of the purchase points open in two or three days, the price will be halved. "

Can not be preserved for a long time, become the weakness of edible roses. "Flower growers don't have much bargaining capital, so they can either sell it or rot it." Li Zhenhai told reporters that some florists felt that there was not enough money for labor, so they simply refused to pick it.

"at the beginning, the government also persuaded farmers not to sell seedlings, but it was limited to persuasion." Li Zhenhai feels that the government's intervention in farmers' decision-making has always been restrained. "it's OK to intervene correctly, but if it's wrong, the masses will have a greater opinion of the government."

In fact, while the market is buoyant, the government is not doing nothing. Increase the publicity of Bajie roses, contact cold storage, coordinate discount loans for cooperatives to expand the acquisition scale, the local government has taken a series of measures to stabilize rose prices. "for example, the promotion of the eighth Street Rose began several years ago. When the roses are in full bloom in the past two years, there are often long queues of vehicles traveling to the eighth Street."

In contrast to the frustration of flower farmers, there are long queues in front of merchants selling rose wine, rose juice and rose sauce on the eighth street, and flower cakes are one of the companion gifts that most visitors to Yunnan must choose at Kunming Changshui Airport. From the price point of view, a three or four yuan flower cake, the purchase price of edible roses is only a few cents, the price of edible roses plummeted at the same time the price of flower cakes is very strong.

Today, under the guidance of the government, Li Zhenhai's cooperative has also gone to Shanghai and other places to discuss cooperation and expand sales channels. "the closer you get to consumers, the higher the profits, but the long-term formation of a small-scale peasant economy makes it difficult for flower farmers to access the market." Li Zhenhai is still a little worried.

"although it lags behind, the market is still playing a role."

"We still have to take the road of order agriculture, not a dead end." Li Zhenhai told reporters that at present, the edible rose market in Bajie is still in a state of disorder, and order agriculture helps to stabilize the market price of agricultural products and avoid the price of edible roses on a "roller coaster".

In Li Zhenhai's view, the current cooperative is not a cooperative in the real sense. "if the land is in the hands of farmers, what if we don't sell it to the co-operatives when the price of edible roses is high?" Li Zhenhai analysis said that the eight streets edible rose planting scale is large, but scattered in every household, it is necessary to carry out land transfer, appropriate scale management. "for example, if the land is transferred to village groups or cooperatives, farmers can earn income according to their share in the cooperatives, and at the same time, they can work in the cooperatives to receive remuneration; cooperatives as a whole sign sales agreements with manufacturers and ensure the implementation of the agreements."

In addition to stabilizing the source of roses, the development of edible rose industry is inseparable from extending the industrial chain and enriching product categories. "this requires high scientific research strength, huge capital investment and mature marketing. At present, there is a lack of local enterprises in Bajie." Li Zhenhai suggested that it is a shortcut to attract relevant enterprises from other places to invest locally, while local companies can also try new product research and development.

In addition, in view of the lack of storage capacity caused by the collapse in edible rose prices, some local enterprises have also been eager to try and plan to build new cold storage. At this point, Li Zhenhai seems to have regained some confidence: "although it lags behind, the market is still playing a role."