Opportunities for growth are sometimes a long way away. Digitization makes it possible to serve markets in other continents. GROW discussed this with Steven van Schilfgaarde.
Royal FloraHolland is already the largest marketplace in the world. What are your ambitions now?
"The demand for flowers is increasing, especially in countries with high growth rates. China is one example of this, but in other Asian countries, consumers are also buying more flowers, and above all, more often. This is also the case in Eastern Europe, with Russia, Poland and the Baltic states leading the way.
It is my ambition that the Dutch floriculture industry should play a significant role in these countries. China is expected to have an online flower turnover of 7.5 billion euros in 2019. That is more than the Netherlands' total flower and plant exports. I think this clearly shows the potential. Our growers in Africa naturally also recognize the great opportunities, but they also realize that it is not feasible to ship flowers from Kenya and Ethiopia to China via Aalsmeer."