Sping is coming and that's good news for growers with garden plants. Over the past days, plant sales in the Netherlands experienced somewhat of a low. This is not unusual, as the period between International Women's day and the start of Lent can take a few weeks. At the same time, also produce sent to Russia and Ukraine is coming back, as well as produce designated to these markets never shipped at all, contributing to the prices going down. However, growers and trade companies present at the Seasonal Market, a business fair at the auction in Naaldwijk, the Netherlands, have a positive outlook for the coming season.
Upper left clockwise: Bas Nieuweboer and Martin Lekkerkerk, Plantics; Roxy Manowska, VDA Plant; Wim Brouwer, Crown Jewels; and Nikita Lagerwerf, KP Holland
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Looking ahead a bit further, dark clouds are approaching from the distance. With the sun shining and days getting longer, heating and lighting the crop is less of an issue. However, with gas prices remaining at current levels, disaster is looming. Also, there are big worries about long-term market developments in eastern Europe. Not only chrysanthemums and roses, which are the major products on International Women's Day, but also plants are shipped in big quantities. On top of that, there are worrying reports about purchasing power.