The flower costs more than it did before the crisis

Life is a party, but you have to hang the wreaths yourself. Or set the flowers aside. To get out of the aura, people are currently buying flowers and plants en masse, all over Europe. People are now more likely to send flowers to each other, because they cannot visit each other. “The sector’s highlights,” says Michel Van Shi, a spokesman for Flora Holland.

Flower prices are currently higher than they were before the Corona crisis. Many flowers were sold on International Women’s Day (March 8) and Mother’s Day in Britain (March 14). 85 percent of all Dutch flower production is destined for export. The biggest customer is Germany.

The impact of Brexit remains difficult to quantify. “The total annual export value amounts to 6 billion euros,” says Fan Shi. Last year, € 850m worth of cultivation went to the UK.

Do not dip into garden plants

After a few tough months in the spring of 2020, demand in the Netherlands has rebounded sharply. The garden’s plants have not even seen a decline at all. People renovate the garden collectively to enjoy the many things in the house. And this while the garden centers in the Netherlands have not yet opened.

Flower shops are still closed, too. “Some shopkeepers are smart enough to carry flowers forward, but this is not officially allowed without a permit from the municipality. We are lucky to be on the street and allowed to remain open,” says Gerard van der Bolle of Rosyl’s Flowers & Plants in Amsterdam.

Although the online ordering of flowers and plants took off during the Corona pandemic, Van der Poll sells every day through its platform. “People want to see flowers in real life,” he says. “Otherwise, they miss the conversation.” He lays out 70 to 80 buckets of flowers every day, which disappear at the end of the day. He sold 40 buckets of flowers daily due to the Coronavirus.

Excess in hot weather

He also sees price increases. That was different after the outbreak of the Coronavirus. Then farmers visited nursing homes and nursing homes to deliver flowers for free. But after a month, consumers started buying flowers again. Now the purchase price for the rose is 1.20 euros; 30 per cent more than it was before the crisis. However, he does not expect the high prices to last long. Van der Poll: “As the weather warms, there will be a surplus and prices will drop.”

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