Low prices at the auction
At the auction, the prices for the cut roses are low at the moment. "Currently, a lot of Kenyan products are being sent to the Dutch auction which causes an oversupply and which in turn puts pressure on the prices. Usually, the prices should be higher at this time of the year, but they have not picked up as yet,” says Yvonne.
Better prices direct sales
Sian Roses supplies 40 per cent of their volumes to the auction and 60 per cent directly. "For the auction we normally aim to supply the longer stem lengths (60 cm and above) and premium roses, while the rest is sold direct. For the direct sales, the prices are more stable and returns are better than the auction most of the time. This year’s Mother’s Day demand is even a little higher than last year for direct by about 3 per cent", she says.
Better prices from Friday
In Europe, Mother's day, which will be celebrated on May 8 this year, is one of the most important days in the ornamental sector. Therefore, Yvonne is sure that the prices are going to increase. She expects the prices to increase by Friday and pick up further into the next week. "Usually, the prices will increase for pink, red and white roses by a significant percentage as Mother’s Day approaches."
Sian Roses
Sian Roses is a group of three flower farms, all located in Kenya, which produces a wide variety of cut flowers, both standard and spray roses. Annually they produce about 130 million stems that are exported to mainly Europe (Sweden, UK, Holland, Germany, France and Italy), Eastern Europe, USA, Dubai, Asia and Australia.
