NL: Record harvest tulip bulbs

Never before have so many tulip bulbs been taken out of the ground in the Netherlands as this year, according to the trade organization Royal General Bulb Growers' Association (KAVB). Since 2000, the cultivation acreage of tulips has grown by 36% to nearly 12,000 hectares in 2017.

There are 880 tulip growers in the Netherlands. Grower Rudolph Uittenbogaard of JUB Holland from Noordwijkerhout grubs the last plot of purple and white tulips of the new variety Tulipa 'Librije'. After the harvest, the bulbs are peeled by hand and prepared for sale at the company, a popular holiday job for many students from the bulb region.

Uittenbogaard: "Due to the extreme heat periods in May and June, the bulbs have grown slower, so we grub a few kilos less, but apart from that, the bulbs are perfect. We have never finished so early with the harvest in the last 25 years."

JUB Holland was named the best horticultural entrepreneur in the Netherlands this year. The family company exports flower bulbs with environmental certificates to 40 countries, cultivates about 4 million cut tulips and develops new varieties. In addition, the bulb grower compiles special mixtures with extra nectar for bees and butterflies for municipalities, organizations, institutions and garden centers to promote biodiversity in the Netherlands.

Source: Alpha Communications