Bereket Adane at the BSI meeting that was held at the Aalsmeer auction in the Netherlands, in September 2015.
Cold weather
According to Bereket, they experienced the lowest temperatures in 40 years over the last four weeks. "Till last Saturday, the night temperatures were very low; around zero Degrees Celsius and sometimes even below zero." Fortunately, the weather improved, but it is still quite cold. "Last night, the temperature was about 7 Degrees Celsius, which usually is around 10 to 14 ."
Keeping heat inside
Like the majority of the rose growers in Ethiopia, Dugda Flora's greenhouse is not equipped with heating, so the cold is affecting the crop. "It stays on hold and starts harvesting in 65 days instead of the usual 50", says Adane. Even though they cannot heat the greenhouse, they are pulling out all the stops to maximize the temperature inside the greenhouse during night. "In order to keep all the heat inside during the night, we placed additional plastic on the greenhouse, we close the vents to prevent the heat from leaving the greenhouse and we are showering the bays to increase humidity and therefore stimulate the growth. These are some of the precaution measures we take."
Greenhouse Dugda Flora.
Influence Valentine's Day flush
In nine days, Dugda Flora will start its Valentine's shipments. Adane is a bit worried that they cannot supply the flowers on time. "Fortunately, the temperatures at night increased over the last couple of days, but it is still colder than usual. It prevents the crop from growing and maturing as usual and is therefore delayed. We need temperatures of at least 8 Degrees Celcius and preferably 13-14 Degrees Celcius", he says. In the coming days, according to Adane, the temperatures are expected to stay at the same level, which should enable them to meet the Valentine's demand on time. However, Adane is still a bit skeptical. "We cannot celebrating yet. Even though these are the forecasts, you never know."
Pictures from their garden plants that are affected by the low night temperatures; False Banana, Mango , and Papaya.
Prices high
And the supply always has an effect on the price at the auction. According to Adane, the prices over the last weeks were about 20 percent, and in some cases even 30 percent, compared to last year. "Usually, the prices are not that high, but they increased due to the fact that the quantities were low. The demand was about the same level as last year."
For more information
Dugda Flora
Bereket Adane
Email: dugdageneral@gmail.com