Hundreds of hectares of Ecuadorian flower acreage are the scene of ‘informal activities’. Growers cultivate flowers there without paying royalties or taxes and without observing labour or environmental legislation. The perpetrators continue to go about their business unscathed.
In an Indian community somewhere at high altitude, roses are grown on a small area, say half an acre. The whole family participates, including children. Hardly anyone knows about it, and what’s more: strangers are not welcome there and would think twice before visiting the place. The barrier-enclosed community itself is uninviting too. This makes it impossible for breeders, among others, to check what happens to their ‘merchandise’.
Take, for example, a grower, who finds, to his surprise, that strangers paid a visit to his ‘garden’ and stole many flower nodes, plastic and chemicals. In their search for plant material, they rip stems off plants, which are valuable for illegally propagating high-quality varieties on demand. All of this with political backing from their regional supporters.
