Chrysanthemums issue in Poland...and Czechia
The Polish government decided on Friday evening October 30 to close Polish cemeteries during the weekend of All Saints Day (November 1). All Saints Day and All Souls Day are very important days in the whole of Poland when people go to cemeteries to put flowers and candles on the graves to remember the deceased. This decision put the chrysanthemums producers in a very difficult position as suddenly they were left without any chance for income.
The government initially announced support for sellers of potted plants (no cut flowers) but after few hours withdrew from the initial decision and changed it with a more polished one.
At this moment sellers who own at least 50 potted chrysantemums or at least 200 cut chrysanthemums are entitled to receive this support. All the flowers should be in a ready to sell condition (fully developed flower). The in-buy price for a pot is 20pln (initially it was 11pln) and for the cut flower 3pln.
Flowers should be then donated to one of the institutions (ngo’s, local government units or other public institutions ) from the list provided by the paying agency.
The deadline for applications is 6th November. The money will be paid till the end of this year.
Other support
Many producers and people supporting producers were protesting against sudden closure of the cemeteries. They bought flowers and put them in front of the offices of the governing party. Also those flowers will be taken over by the cities and used for the decoration of cities.
Potted chrysanthemum is a very popular flower in Poland in the late autumn season but associated directly with graves and All Saints Day, therefore also produced mainly for the purpose to decorate graves. Ca. 90% of the whole sales in Poland is also being produced in the country. Cut chrysanthemum flower is less popular and this one is often imported from the Netherlands.
Since several years there is a flower campaign organized by the Just Chrys association performed in the spring time to support sales of cut chrysanthemum to Polish customers and to change the funeral connotation of this flower in Poland.
Czech example
In Czechia, the opposite decision was made. As of 31 October there was an exemption from the ban on operating a business or trade in connection with the upcoming All Souls’ Day for shops selling remembrance goods, such as wreaths, floral decorations for graves, remembrance candles, etc., including stallholders and mobile shops.
LAN-WAR- own report