The Dutch horticulture sector will start a joint action on Tuesday morning to give aid workers a helping hand. In cooperation with the Association of Wholesalers in Flower Nursery Products (VGB) and Bloemenbureau Holland, employees of Royal FloraHolland flower auction at hospitals and nursing homes in the Aalsmeer and Naaldwijk region will hand over flowers to thank care staff for their efforts during the time of the coronavirus.
On average, more than 30 million flowers and plants are traded every day at Royal FloraHolland. On Monday, a historical percentage of 50% of the supply remained unsold. Steven van Schilfgaarde, CEO of Royal FloraHolland: "A lot of high-quality flowers and plants are currently being lost because trade has largely come to a standstill due to the corona crisis. This is terrible to see. Especially when you consider that our growers produce their flowers and plants with so much passion and attention. With this action, we are turning an emergency into a virtue and want to work with the entire Dutch floriculture sector to encourage our aid workers and show our gratitude and appreciation".
Matthijs Mesken, CEO of the VGB: "Flowers give colour and support in hard times and that is something everyone can use right now. This is an important period for growers and customers with all holidays ahead of them. As a sector, we are therefore doing everything we can to preserve the floriculture sector, which accounts for 150,000 jobs in the Netherlands. So continue to buy flowers and plants in particular and thus support the Dutch ornamental horticulture".
Source: Royal FloraHolland