24Feb
In Europe, bromeliads have been cultivated and traded already for a long time. The largest bromeliad nurseries in the world producing cuttings and finished pot plants are located in The Netherlands. Currently, about 30 Dutch companies produce bromeliads. Guzmania is by far the biggest bromeliad traded at the Dutch auctions. Other important bromeliads are Vriesea, Tillandsia and Aechmea.
At young plant level, the bromeliad market is extremely competitive and is dominated by small number of relatively big breeding companies (Corn. Bak, Deroose Plants, Exoticplant) who compete for market share with a steady stream of new patented varieties. These breeders (or so-called improvers or hybridisers) are working constantly to produce ever more spectacular and hardy varieties for the market. The search for finding new varieties is fuelled by one thing: new stock. Read more »
20Jan
A recently published CBI market survey for summer flowers, which was compiled by ProVerde, shows that turnover in summer flowers has increased steadily over the past couple of years. An important contributing factors has been steadily increasing supermarket sales and the resulting increased demand for bouquet fillers. The recent global economic crisis, however, has also affected the European summer flower trade. Read more »
20Jan
This week, CBI published its latest market survey for tropical flowers, which was compiled by ProVerde. The survey shows that a number of developing countries holds a strong position in supplying tropical flowers to the European market. The European market is characterised by very strict quality requirements and a high level of interest in innovation and new species; experience has shown that new products can acquire a rapidly growing market share, following initial introduction to the trade. Read more »
23Nov
First, there was the Dutch auction method, then the auction clock made its appearance, and now it is time for the next phase: clock projection, image auctioning and distant buying (KOA).
At FloraHolland Aalsmeer, the auction has worked in recent years towards the creation of a modern and flexible auction system. Five of the fourteen auction clocks use image auctioning and one clock uses virtual auctioning. Two more clocks will probably change to image auctioning in 2010. Read more »
06Nov
WAFEX is the leading exporter of cut flowers (fresh and dried) in Australia with warehouse, packing and cool room facilities in both Melbourne and Perth. In 2009, seeing an opportunity to become the world’s leading source of new waxflower (Chamelaucium) varieties, Craig Musson and Adrian Parsons, Directors of WAFEX, established their new company Helix Australia. Having secured a range of new and improved Waxflower varieties, Helix Australia is developing networks of licensed growers locally and overseas in both the cut flower and nursery industries. Read more »
04Nov
The EU market for fresh fruit and vegetables is declining in volume but growing in value. In much of the eastern European Union consumption is still growing and consumers are shifting from basic fruit and vegetables towards more diverse produce, including exotics. At the same time, the availability there of other food products, such as snacks and fast food, is a source of heated competition for fresh fruit and vegetables. The markets in countries such as Germany, Spain, Italy and France are large but nearly saturated. Only certain market niches and product groups provide opportunities for growth.
More and more EU entrepreneurs in this business are opting for offshore outsourcing, i.e. moving parts of the production process to developing countries (DCs). As they face increasing pressure to improve, many of them consider offshore outsourcing a strategic means of lowering production costs, increasing their own company’s capacity for products with a higher added-value outsourcing products with a lower added-value. While the number of fruit and vegetable growers in the EU has been declining for decades, their involvement in offshore fruit and vegetable growing is increasing. Read more »
05Oct
Taxing at a high rate can have substantial consequences for consumer demand for cut flowers. Fiscal borders between EU countries were, in theory, eliminated from 1 January 1993 onwards. However, in practice, harmonisation of VAT (tax levied at consumer sales’ level) rates has not yet been achieved. Read more »
04Oct
Floriculture exports from India are expected to see a 20 per cent decline this year “as buyers are holding on to their purse strings due to the slowdown,” S Jafar Naqvi, president of the Indian Flowers and Ornamental Plants Welfare Association (iFlora), has said. Read more »
02Oct
A strong development in the European flower business is the increasing importance of virtualisation. Virtualisation plays a major role in the reduction of transaction costs. Until a few years ago, the development of virtual flower trade was hampered by the perceived importance of visual appearance to determine product quality. Improvements in the provision of accurate supply information and reliability, however, have made virtualisation a major success. Read more »
02Oct
Three important developments are affecting developing country producers of fresh fruits and vegetables targeting the EU: stricter food safety demands, changing importer roles, and shifting global trade patterns. Read more »