Easter during times of crisis

From all over the world, stories are coming in of the impact of COVID-19 on the industry. The impact is severe, but we see many companies taking initiatives to boost the demand. On top of that, Easter was celebrated in April, and curbside pick-up started to arise in many areas, particularly in the US. Interest is high as people seem to be picking up home gardening. April is also the start of the tulip season, but to prevent mass tourism, Dutch growers started to top tulips ahead of schedule. Also Keukenhof was not open this year. For the cut flowers, air freight rates are high and the bottleneck.

Coco production under pressure due to COVID-19 outbreak

With lockdowns in both Sri Lanka and India and disturbed transport chains, the supply of coco substrates is under pressure. Jack van Batenburg with Shakti Cocos explains how…

FlowerTrials: A taste of what would have been on show

Unfortunately FlowerTrials 2020 has been cancelled. The COVID-19 virus situation makes it impossible for the 62 participating breeding companies to host the primary annual…

Victor Omuga, Bella Flowers, Rwanda:

"We can't wait to pick up from where we left off"

Usually, 100,000 stems on average are being produced a day at Rwanda's only rose farm, Bella Flowers. Established in 2016, starting with 20 ha, they quickly grew to 40 ha by…

Royal FloraHolland: "Supply down 70%, prices down 20%"

Last Monday, on the clocks, a slight improvement could be noticed. The total (clock + direct) turnover was 8.47 million euros, a decrease of 60.6 percent…

Kenya: Flowers of Hope to save thousands of farm jobs

On 30th March 2020, KEPSA launched a campaign dubbed “Flowers of Hope” under its Economic Framework for COVID-19 response. The campaign will be implemented through KEPSA…

Roelof Nugteren of Luxaflor Roses, Zimbabwe

"We still receive orders and have cargo flights"

"Fortunately, we are allowed to continue business, our clients are still ordering and cargo is still being picked up in Zimbabwe," says Roelof Nugteren of Luxaflor Roses, a…

#FlowerBoostChallenge crosses borders

The #FlowerBoostChallenge crosses borders! The initiative to support floricultural growers started in The Netherlands and found its way to Belgium, UK and Canada. Ever since…

Mauricio Gleiser, Vacuum Cooling, on the cold chain from South America to the US

"Investing in standardized logistic procedures would provide beneficial effects for all"

"The floral industry is facing a true turning point - and particularly regarding its logistic practices", explains Mauricio Gleiser of Vacuum Cooling Colombia, a vacuum…

Behind the scenes at Tropical Seeds' Seedlab

Early last year, Tropical Seed further expanded the number of instruments that are used to assess the quality of the seeds. "Whether it concerns cleaning up, vitality or the…

Van Hoekelen Greenhouses still brings joy this Easter with Drive Thru

US (PA): Grower bounces back after last-minute cancellations

"After preparing - or better say growing - the orders for 6 to 7 months, the supermarkets are now reducing and cancelling their orders a week or even a day in advance.…

Easter recap: Flower sales up at Swedish supermarkets

"The online flower sales skyrocketed, but at the physical stores, sales were also higher compared to last year", says Henrik Astrom of Axfood, one of Sweden's largest food…

Clement Tulezi, Kenya Flower Council:

"Lack of freight now the major hinderance to Kenya's cut flower export"

Kenya's horticulture industry - its third-largest foreign exchange earner, garnering around $1.15 billion annually - is suffering from lockdowns caused by the coronavirus in…

Ukraine: Ascania-Flora plans to destroy most roses due to quarantine, drop in demand

The Ascania-Flora rose growing greenhouse complex (Kyiv region) plans to destroy most of its finished products due to quarantine restrictions introduced in Ukraine and a sharp…

"Due to no labor to harvest, cattle are allowed in greenhouses for grazing"

Indian floriculture industry crumbles due to COVID-19

Actually this is the wedding season in India and the most crucial period for flowers sales. However, due to COVID-19, all these big fat events are being cancelled. This…

U.S. growers navigating coronavirus shutdown

Even some life-sustaining businesses in Pennsylvania are dealing with uncertainty during the pandemic. Taylor's Greenhouse in Biglerville has seen sales go up and down in the…

Dutch growers top tulips ahead of schedule to prevent mass tourism

"It's no easy decision, we sure lose quality. Normally we top at 100 percent blossoming, but now we're only at 70 - 80 per cent. The bulb will yield less, I estimate 1,000…

Equiflor on how their farms are dealing with the COVID-19 situation

"Valentine’s-like pruning to stop production and reduce the labor"

When it comes to flower growers, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought some serious challenges around the world, including for Equiflor's farms in Ecuador, Colombia, and Costa…

Jeroen Ravensbergen, Floritec

Lockdown major concern for Xclusive in Uganda

Floritec is, for the supply of cutting material, dependent on the production location of its partner Xclusive in Uganda. Although there are only 54 officially registered…

Australian lily growers adapt to COVID-19

'Topping the crop now, allows for next-season harvesting of lilies'

"This topping process has not been used in the Monbulk region for over 20 years", says Australian flower grower Bernie Bedgerie of Robin Rise Flowers. On 3ha in the Dandenongs…

Impact of COVID-19 on National flower of South Africa

South African protea growers hit hard, but hopeful for next season

Protea cynaroides, the National flower of South Africa comes in many colours and sizes and the demand has been increasing for several years now, but due to COVID-19, sales…

Jason Kendall, Kendall Farms

Tested by fire, this California grower has learned not to give up

"This situation reminds me of the fire we had in 2007, which destroyed 80 percent of our crop. We were devastated, but it brought us closer together and we got through it",…

Home gardening expected to get a boost

With people spending more time at home this year, the interest in home gardening will likely increase. “Right now, people are home more, which is expected to result in more…

Annual figures presented

Royal FloraHolland goes from high highs to low lows

Since the start of the corona crisis, Royal FloraHolland's turnover decreased by 350-400 million euros, a drop of 40 percent, Steven van Schilfgaarde (CEO) and David van…

Adrian Parsons launches Easyblooms.com.au

New sales platform for Australian growers

Initially, the idea of the Australian online flower direct business Easyblooms was planned to be launched in 2018, but the model was parked as costs were daunting. "However,…

Akina successfully introduces new red rose to the auction - 70 cents per stem

Is there ever a bad time to launch a new rose?

It may seem like the worst possible time to launch a new rose variety, but it may be the best one too. Akina, a farm of Fontana group, did it and they were pleasantly…

Jan Renting, Optimal Connection regarding shipments out of Kenya

"High freight rates are the bottleneck"

Demand is there but supply lags behind, explains Jan Renting of Optimal Connection, a Dutch unpacking company for Kenyan and Israeli farms. According to him, the high air…