This year, though, Grasse took a hit. The town and region, along with much of western Europe, faced extreme drought, which wiped out swaths of flower crops. Carole Biancalana, who grows tuberose, rose, and jasmine exclusively for Dior, says her tuberose harvest was 40% less than last year. Farmers across the wider region saw flower yields down by as much as half, according to Grasse’s 45-year-old mayor, Jérôme Viaud.
— Read more in Perfume’s Best Scents Are Being Snuffed Out at Bloomberg.
This is awful! I do realize that in the larger scheme of things, there are far worse effects from climate change and drought upon crops and both human and animal populations. But there are some interesting points made in the article about new, greener ways to grow flowers, as well as about evolving technological or bio-engineering solutions. Thanks for this link, Robin! (PS, nice picture of Francis Kurkdjian!)
Many of the larger producers (L’Occitane, Dior, Chanel, Lancome) have been “hardening” their fields for some years now, but there’s a limit to what they can do. It really is awful.