Iberflora spoke with Luis Marín, manager of the Andalusian Association of Nurseries and Flower Growers (Asociaflor).
Nursery associations, Including, Asociaflor, have promoted the Europe Flourishes campaign, which ends now in the month of April. A campaign that talks about the benefits that plants and flowers bring to our lives with the aim of promoting their consumption Do you think we are in a good moment of flower and plant consumption in Spanish homes?
I think the pandemic we're suffering from, especially in the hardest moments, has served to make us realize the role that flowers and plants have in our day to day, bringing us joy, and connotations of life, Health, nature. We must as a sector keep those ideas and that inertia alive., and as the slogan of an old campaign carried out by the sector said, that every day “let's put flowers and plants in our lives”.
Last 17 of December, the Food Chain Law entered into force, which also affects producers and marketers of flowers and ornamental plants. Is there still a lot of legal uncertainty regarding its implementation?? What does the association think about its application to the ornamental sector?
I think, and I think the whole sector thinks the same, that this is absolute nonsense. Including flowers and plants in a food chain issue is absurd by definition, but if we ignore the food issue, nor does it hold, since the complications in the daily management that will cause a sector made up mainly of small nurseries, it will not compensate in any way for the supposed benefit it may cause to a minority of producers in some subsector of flowers and plants., whose market may be similar to that of food. Apply the Law of the Chain, to a citrus plant nursery, of olive trees, whose destination is the sale to a farmer for agricultural production, makes little sense.
Andalusia is the main Autonomous Community producing cut flower nationwide, with almost the 58% of the area of cultivation How do you assess the results of the last Valentine's Day campaign?
Unfortunately, even though it is the main producing community, the sector has witnessed a strong reconversion, especially in the province of Cádiz.
Regarding Valentine's Day, we can not talk about the sector going through a good time. Rising costs (energy, fertilizers, transport, drought, etc.) are factors that are plunging the sector into a serious situation, after being very touched after the Covid crisis. That's the way it is., the abandonment of the activity by many farmers is a constant. Lack of product and high prices have marked this Valentine's Day campaign.
The Andalusian ornamental sector has always been very present in Iberflora, Will we once again have an important representation of Andalusian companies in 2022?
This will be safe. Andalusia has never missed the Iberflora fair, at least for 30 years, time that Asociaflor has been organizing and coordinating the assistance and participation of Andalusian companies in the Valencian contest.
Iberflora is preparing a new, more experiential and innovative concept in 2022, Iberflora New-Generation What do you expect from the next edition of Iberflora?
The effort that the organization of the fair is making to offer every year an optimal framework of relationships and professional meetings to the sector is very grateful. Personally, I believe that the fact that Iberflora opens its doors every year already deserves our applause and gratitude. If also, innovative initiatives are introduced every year, even more. No doubt, getting to know the people behind the organization of the fair and in the Organizing Committee, there will be no lack of work, nor imagination.
For more information:
Iberflora
www.iberflora.feriavalencia.com
