Two-thirds of the roses exported by the Netherlands have been imported from Ethiopia and Kenya as the number of flower growers in the Netherlands dwindles, the Volkskrant reports on Valentine’s Day. Some 150 million roses are sold at Dutch flower auctions in the run-up to February 14, which is traditionally one of the most lucrative periods of the year for growers.
However, CBS figures quoted by the paper show the total number of Dutch flower growers is now 2,100, 300 down on 2019, due to both competition from other countries and rising energy costs. And just 16% of the Valentine roses traded at auctions in the Netherlands were grown on Dutch soil.
Rose growers, in particular, have been nudged out of the market over the last 20 years, with small growers who do not have enough money to invest in energy-efficient heating of the greenhouses left at a disadvantage, industry lobby organization Tuinbouw Nederland said.
Big growers, however, are investing in LED lights and alternative ways of heating greenhouses, such as geothermal heat, residual heat produced by other businesses, and heat retaining screens, the agency told the paper.
Read more at dutchnews.nl