57April 20, 2020suchasMorrisons.Coulson,56,wasraisedintheU.K.and
wenttoworkforKenyanflowerfarmsafterservinginthe
infantryoftheBritisharmy.Heliveson-sitewithhiswife
andthreechildren.
BusinesswasstronginFebruary,hesays.Hisfirstcancel-
lationscameinearlyMarch,evenbeforeKenyasawitsfirst
Covid-19case.“Weknewtherewasa probleminChina,”
Coulsonsays.“Wehadnoideaofthescale.”Bymid-month
hissaleshaddroppedbymorethanhalf.
Hiscosts,though,haven’tfallen.Hestillhastobuychem-
icals,fertilizer,andwater,andtopayhisworkerstoharvest
theflowers,chopthemup,andpilethemfordisposal.He’s
cuthisstafftohalftime—twoweeksonandtwoweeksoff.He
estimates he’s losing €300,000 ($327,930) a month, a level of
disruption far worse than the Kenyan postelection violence and
global financial crisis of more than a decade ago or than the
Icelandic volcanic ash cloud that grounded many cargo flights
in 2010. “It’s a black hole,” he says. “If this goes on for three or
four months, we’re faced with the prospect of closing down.”
The workers will suffer most if farms shutter. Justerian
Iminza, a 38-year-old rose harvester for Nini, says she’s
already unable to afford breakfast or lunch for her family. A
widow with two daughters and a son, she migrated to Lake
Naivasha to find work on the flower farms. Her job is a good
one, as far as the industry goes. It’s unionized, and the farm
is fair-trade certified. After 13 years at Nini, she was earning
about $110 a month, plus a $25 housing allowance. But nowshe’smakinghalfasmuch.Hercreditcooperativehaslimited
withdrawals and stopped making emergency loans. She says
that Nini has discussed providing $10 a month in emergency
relief or distributing maize flour, but that nothing has been
decided yet. “We are all worried,” she says. “We don’t know
how long it will last.”DEANRESCHEDULEDHERWEDDINGFORAUG.15,PICKING
thatdateoveroneinJune(toosoon)andHalloween(tooclose
totheU.S.presidentialelection).Hervenue,photographer,
andfloral designer were all amenable to the switch, but DJ Ben
had another gig.
She’s only cautiously optimistic she’ll be able to get mar-
ried in August. New Jersey is now a hot spot, with more than
2,300 coronavirus deaths, and New York Governor Andrew
Cuomo has extended his state’s stay-at-home order through
the end of April. Even if some businesses reopen soon, no
one knows whether an August wedding in the Catskills will
be advisable or permitted. Coronavirus is now spreading in
Kenya,too.PresidentUhuruKenyattalockeddownmuch
ofthecountryonApril6.InEcuador,anothermajorrose
exporter,hospitalsandfuneralparlors are overwhelmed.
Dean says she’s grateful her floral designer, Clare, will be
able to work with her in August, but Clare doesn’t know what
she’ll be able to import once she reopens. Dean’s vision for
her wedding flowers is all but gone. “They’ll still be beauti-
ful,” she says. “But I know what they were going to be like.” <BW>HOLLAND:
PHOTOGRAPH
BY
SEM
LANGENDIJK
FOR
BLOOMBERG
BUSINESSWEEK;
KENYA: PHOTOGRAPH BY BRIAN OTIENO FOR BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEKA worker carries roses
to a dump site at Nini