庭の妖精「ノーム」不足、スエズ運河封鎖とコロナで　英

【ロンドンＡＦＰ＝時事】ロックダウン（都市封鎖）中の需要の高まりと、座礁船によるスエズ運河封鎖の影響で、英国では庭の妖精の置物「ノーム」が不足していると、ＢＢＣが先週報じた。（写真は庭の妖精「ノーム」人形）
　ひげを生やした庭の守り神「ノーム」は、１９世紀から英国の庭師や園芸家らに愛されてきた。手にスコップや釣りざおを持っていたり、キノコの下に座っていたりする。
　だが、先月にスエズ運河で２０万トン級の大型船が砂嵐の中で立ち往生したことで、供給が途絶えてしまった。
　英ガーデンセンター協会の幹部イアン・ワイリー氏によると、新型コロナウイルスのパンデミック（世界的な大流行）やスエズ運河の封鎖により、サプライチェーンは逼迫（ひっぱく）している。
　「ガーデンセンターも他の業界と同様、海外からの商品が運河封鎖の影響を受けた」とワイリー氏は話す。「庭園家具や置物、もちろんノームも、英国へ向かっていたコンテナの中に足止めされている」
　イングランド西部グロスターシャーにある園芸センター「ハイフィールド・ガーデン・ワールド」のイアン・バーン氏によると、コロナ対策のロックダウン期間中、ノームの売り上げは「大幅に増加」した。
　ただし、原料不足のために「残念ながら、この半年間はノームを見ていない」と言う。「プラスチック、石、コンクリート、あらゆるタイプのノームが供給不足だ。どれもこの２、３シーズン、とても人気があった」【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】

〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/04/21-13:24）

High demand during lockdown and supply problems following the Suez Canal blockage have caused a shortage of garden gnomes in Britain, the BBC reported on Thursday.
The small bearded characters -- often with a trowel or fishing rod in hand or sitting beneath a toadstool -- have been beloved by British gardeners since the 19th century.
But in the wake of last month's snarl-up in Suez, caused when a 200,000-tonne megaship got stuck in a sandstorm, supplies of the diminutive garden guardians have dried up.
Many of the decorative ornaments, which can be made of plastic, stone or concrete, have been left languishing in shipping containers.
Garden Centre Association chief executive Iain Wylie said supply chains had been under pressure during the pandemic and because of the canal blockage.
With goods arriving from abroad, garden centres were affected by the ship getting stuck in the canal as much as any other industry, he told the broadcaster.
Garden furniture, ornaments, of which gnomes would be some, being stuck in containers trying to come over here.
Ian Byrne, of Highfield Garden World in Gloucestershire, western England, said there had been a massive upswing in gnome sales during the coronavirus lockdown.
We haven't seen a gnome in six months now unfortunately, the assistant manager said, blaming a shortage of raw materials.
Gnomes of any type -- plastic, stone or concrete -- are in short supply. They've been very popular over the last couple of seasons.
The Swedish furniture giant Ikea said last month that it had similarly experienced supply problems because of high demand and shipping problems.
Massive container ship the Ever Given got stuck on March 23, triggering a mammoth six-day-long effort to dislodge it.
Maritime data company Lloyd's List said the blockage by the vessel, longer than four football fields, held up an estimated $9.6 billion (£7 billion, 8 billion euros) in cargo between Asia and Europe each day it was stuck.
Britain on Monday made a significant step towards opening its economy, re-opening non-essential retail and allowing pubs and restaurants to serve outside after months of restrictions across England.