Perhaps it’s a post-pandemic thing: many of us felt the need for greater human connection following COVID-19 lockdowns, as well as healthier diets.
Step forward roses and avocados. We’re buying roses in increasing numbers as a way to show loved ones how much we care. While avocados have become a staple of more health-conscious diets.
Growers in Latin America have seized on this growth in demand, and trade data shows the region now leads the world in the export of the two products.
Latin America is fast becoming one of the world’s leading exporters of roses. The sweeping flower fields of the Netherlands still supply the biggest share of the world market, but Latin American countries are taking a bigger share of a global market worth $2.86 billion in 2020.
According to data from the Observatory for Economic Complexity (OEC), Ecuador is now the world’s second-biggest exporter of roses, shipping $625 million worth of the blooms in 2020. Colombia is the fourth-largest exporter, with rose sales topping $350 million in 2020. When taken together, the value of rose exports from Ecuador and Colombia hit $975 million in 2020, making up 34% of annual rose exports.
Read more at weforum.org