Demand for flowers rises on Valentine's Day in Duhok

The demand for flowers on this year's Valentine's Day in the Kurdistan Region city of Duhok has risen by 20 percent compared to last year.

In the city's northwest, there is an abundance of florists. One can smell the fresh scent of flowers everywhere there.

The area is usually crowded with the city's residents during special events and occasions but never as much as on Valentine's Day.

Duhok has 35 florists in total. According to Karwan Ali, who has been importing flowers into the city for several years, local demand for flowers has risen by 20 percent compared to previous years, which he says is the highest in the city's recent history.

Ali estimates that at least 50,000 red roses, with a combined worth of $500,000, have been brought into Duhok for this year's Valentine's Day.

He attributes this increase to a concurrent interest and understanding of the occasion among Duhok's residents and an increase in both men and women buying flowers to mark the special day.

Ahmed Hussein, the owner of one of the florists, said that people have been requesting flowers bouquets for Valentine's Day for the last couple of days. They are primarily lovers or married couples. It is lover's day, after all.

Ahmed and his two assistants didn't get any sleep the night before. They were too busy meeting the rapidly accumulating demands. His shop bought 10,000 flowers, half of them red roses.

Each rose costs 4,000 Iraqi dinars (approximately $2.70), an increase from 3,000 dinars last year. The increase in price is a result of the change in the currency exchange rate since last year.

"Unfortunately, most of our flowers are imported from abroad. The main exporters are the Netherlands, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Egypt, and only a few flowers like daffodil flower are locally grown,' Ahmed said.

Duhok's soil and water are perfect for growing flowers. However, flowers are also delicate and need greenhouses with specific temperatures, and there hasn't been much investment in such facilities in Duhok to date.

Most of the florists in Duhok had the same complaint. The lack of an airport in the city means they have to sell their flowers for higher prices than prices in other cities of the Kurdistan Region since they have to pay additional costs for shipment from Erbil to Duhok.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) began building an international airport in Duhok in 2012, but regional crises have delayed its completion.

Imad Barwari visited one of Duhok's florists on Valentine's Day. He has been engaged for six months now and told Kurdistan 24 he is getting married soon. He is using this special day to again express his love and gratitude to his fiancé with a specially decorated bouquet.

More people in Duhok have embraced Valentine's Day even though some more conservative people argue it is not a local occasion and shouldn't be celebrated.