Believe it or not, but it is estimated that European consumers spend a staggering 15 billion euro on cut flowers and flower arrangements per year. This market does not only consist of cut flowers, but includes a wide range of product groups like foliage, dried branches and even dried fruits and vegetables. Colourful dried corn stalks (maize), for instance, have been a big hit as a component in bouquets and flower arrangements.
It is a well-developed and highly competitive market which approaches saturation in some countries. As a result, traders are continuously seeking new, special and different products to distinguish themselves. Consumers want to be surprised: see something new and unexpected in the shops. It is obvious that this huge market offers varying opportunities for companies in developing countries as potential suppliers of natural products with ornamental features.
In view of this opportunity, ProVerde is looking for ways to match demand and potential suppliers. ProVerde is an internationally oriented company providing trade facilitation and trade mediation services to primarily companies in developing countries. We are based in The Netherlands, the centre of international floricultural trade, and specialised in marketing cut flowers & plants, florist items, and biodiversity products. Read more »
Date: Friday, March 26, 2010
Categories: News
HortCRSP is currently mapping horticultural development projects in order to populate an online resource that enables funding agencies and project creators to learn about existing projects, find potential linkages and identify areas of need.
The plan is to create two interactive web-based maps, one for ongoing projects and one for completed projects. Read more »
Date: Friday, March 26, 2010
Categories: Kenya, News
The country’s foreign exchange from horticulture dropped 2.8 per cent from KSh 73.7 billion in 2008 to KSh 71.6 billion last year.
According to the Daily Nation, produce for export fell due to drought and a drop in market demand for some products due to recession in Europe, Kenya’s main market.
Relative to 2008, the combined effects of these two caused an overall fall of 14.8 per cent in the quantity of exports. Read more »
Date: Thursday, January 21, 2010
Categories: News, Requirements
FloraHolland is budgeting a small decrease in turnover of 1.5 per cent for 2010. “By being thrifty we can ensure that the auction does not become more expensive while modernizing sufficiently at the same time,” said Financial Director Erik Leeuwaarden at the recently held general meeting. The rates for members will remain largely the same in 2010.The basic commission will be 1.4 per cent.
Sales via FloraHolland Connect will be 0.1 per cent cheaper for members. The clock commission will stay at 2.3 per cent. The auction is working towards further harmonization of the various rates. Lot charge will be decreased at Naaldwijk and Rijnsburg. Read more »
Date: Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Categories: Guatemala, News, ProVerde projects
A two-day training programme for flower growers in Guatemala on ‘External and internal customer orientation’ is scheduled for early February. The training programme is an initiative of CBI and Agexport and will be carried out by Milco Rikken of ProVerde and Maarten van Schie of OTV Wageningen.
The objective of the training is to improve the knowledge and skills of the participants in understanding customer requirements as well as the European market channels and requirements. After the training, participants are informed about present market conditions and developments. They are able to translate and implement market information, client expectations and feedback to the different levels in the farms. This is done in relation to the export of flowers, foliage and plant (materials) to the EU. Read more »
Date: Monday, January 18, 2010
Categories: News
The Partnership on Market Access was initiated at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg in 2002. The WSSD concluded that agricultural trade is an important prerequisite for sustainable development and poverty alleviation. At the same time, quality requirements in agricultural trade, whether from governments or from companies or civil society organizations tend to become stricter. The Netherlands initiated a partnership on market access, which focuses on capacity building to allow less developed countries meet these stricter quality requirements. Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and Kenya took up this partnership challenge. Read more »
Date: Thursday, January 14, 2010
Categories: News
Today (14 January 2010), The Mavuno Group (Kenya) and flower auction FloraHolland announced that all the activities of Tele Flower Auction (TFA) of the Mavuno Group will be integrated into FloraHolland. This means that current TFA suppliers will broaden their sales network and strengthen their trade opportunities by connecting to the virtual clock systems of FloraHolland. For FloraHolland this is an unique opportunity to bind international producers and improve the assortment and buying power for buyers. Integration will be accomplished this year. Read more »
Date: Thursday, November 26, 2009
Categories: News, Tanzania
The Tanzania Horticultural Association (Taha) will set up a processing and packaging facility at the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA). The airport is the main exit point for export of horticultural products, mainly cut flowers, to markets abroad. Read more »
Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Categories: Kenya, News, Tanzania, Uganda
A technical team from countries in the East African region, which has been meeting in Kampala, Uganda, has agreed on a pact paving the way for free movement of labour in the region. Once the Kampala Common Market Protocol is endorsed, professionals, services and capital owners would be able to move freely in the five countries of the East African Community (EAC). Read more »
Date: Friday, October 30, 2009
Categories: Kenya, News
Kenyan flower exports may drop 14 percent to 80,000 tonnes this year due to drought and a depressed world market, the chief executive of the Kenya Flower Council said. Read more »