Flower growers were forced to dump large quantities of gerberas in open fields after the nationwide lockdown brought the floriculture trade to a standstill. With wedding ceremonies, temple offerings, and local markets closed, demand for flowers vanished overnight, leaving growers unable to recover their investment. Many had built expensive polyhouses and relied on the April–May season for most of their yearly income, but the restrictions on transport and labour movement made it impossible to sell or even store their blooms. Facing mounting losses and no relief measures, farmers discarded thousands of gerberas each day, a stark reflection of how fragile the flower economy became under the lockdown.