Fewer roses have been sold to retailers in the run up to Valentines’s Day with dealers saying scarcity is driving up the price, website NU.nl reports.

With just three days to go until February 14, flower auction Royal FloraHolland said just 152 million roses have been traded so far, 9% down on last year.

Auction insiders said individual stems are more expensive and are driving up the price for the traditional Valentine’s Day bunch by 10%.

The rise is due to a 22% fall in imports from Kenya which has been struggling with too much rain and lack of sun, traders said.  Kenya is one of the three largest growers of roses in the world, alongside Ethiopia and the Netherlands.

Ethiopia fared better weatherwise and increased both production and prices. Dutch growers also profited from the scarcity  and saw their average price go up 3%, NU.nl said.