Even in this time of high inflation, residents of the Netherlands continue to buy flowers to surprise their loved ones on Valentine's Day. However, people are more often buying flowers other than roses this year, said flower arrangement platforms Topbloemen.nl and Fleurop. Flowers have risen in price this year, although flower cultivation companies have not been able to pass on all of their sharply increased costs, said auction company FloraHolland.
Red roses are less popular. "They stand out in terms of price," said Topbloemen.nl director Edwin van Arkel. "Everyone wants red roses on one day, so there is suddenly a huge demand. But there isn't that much supply because growers have started producing less due to the high gas prices. That drives up the price even more." Tulips are on the rise, particularly in red, but also in mixed bouquets.
FloraHolland believes that the red rose, which needs the high temperature in greenhouses, is falling out of favor swiftly because of the energy crisis. "Due to lower production, there are 35 percent fewer roses on the Dutch market this year," explained a spokesperson. In addition, unfavorable weather conditions in two other important rose countries, Kenya and Ethiopia, led to a drop in supply. Dutch roses, which are more expensive, are still being purchased partly because of the reduced supply.
Read the complete article at nltimes.nl