The month of August is not the most interesting month for the flowers and plants. Sales are relatively low, the top sales would normally have already been made or will come, probably to a lesser extent, later.
Even with that in mind, last month's figures from Royal FloraHolland show little spectacular news about cut flowers. The average price was 23 cents, 1 cent lower than the same month in 2018. Average turnover even fell a little more, while the number of sold items was a fraction higher than last year. So a slight negative net result, which, moreover, is difficult to pin down on one or two varieties.
Potted plants
The developments in potted plants are more interesting. Here the average price per unit has risen nicely, from € 1.64 last year to € 1.70 now.
Phalaenopsis is fetching a better price, but the number of units has also decreased by almost 10%. Last year around this time we still saw large numbers, that were sold for (very) low prices. The market seems to have found a new kind of balance.
It is also noticeable that bromeliads were paid better, at around 10% less supply. Exclusive house plants also saw fewer units at higher prices.
Finally, the sky seems to be the limit for succulents. These were sold for slightly better prices than last year, while the numbers rose by more than 35%, even with one auction day less.
Garden plants
The average price in garden plants also rose from € 1.19 last year to € 1.28 this year: an increase of more than 7.5%. The number of units sold was slightly higher, the turnover also increased considerably.
What is striking is a sharp fall in the price of bulb chrysanthemums (€ 0.89, compared to € 1.20 last year). The number of items increased sharply by around 60%, numbers that the market, it turns out, could not easily process.
Most spectacular is practically a doubling in the supply of trees and shrubs. That applied to both the supply and the turnover, so these factors roughly do eliminate each other, but still the price went up ten cents (from € 2.12 to € 2.21).