Orchids Colombia Patent rights

Transcription

‘Concordia res parvae crescunt’
September 2009 • www.floracultureinternational.com
The business magazine for floriculture worldwide
Small to sky-high,
win-win in motion
Orchids
Colombia
Patent rights
Concentrated
on a colourful
future 10
Proflora
in Bogotá
opens new
doors 27
Backlash
brewing in
breeders’
domain 50
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NEW
TAG!
Get ready for February 1, 2010!
The CC Containers will get
new ID tags with built-in RFID*
The unique and well-functioning CC pool system
offers you the possibility of a smooth product
Ƃow. To protect the system from illegal low-quality
copies, CC Containers will soon get new tags.
4F F B MJ WF % &.
0 PG 3 '* % BU
JO UF SO BU JP OB
M )P S UJ 'B JS 0 DU PC FS
T UB OE ) BM M OV NC FS
&V S PQ BI BM
In January 2010, we will send new RFID tags to everybody
who has CC Containers under contract with Container
Centralen (CC). The new tags have a built-in RFID*, that will
make identiƁcation of genuine CC Containers even easier.
The tags must be mounted onto the CC Containers before
February 1, 2010. Please make sure that the amount of
CC Containers you have corresponds to the number stated
in your CC contracts. If not, please contact your local CC
ofƁce.
After February 1, 2010, only CC Containers
with the new RFID tags will be accepted in
the CC Pool System! You can easily check
your tags with an RFID reader (“scanner”).
“Operation Chip It” – a joint horticultural project
-*7&
%&.0
Container Centralen and our partners in this project,
Landgard, GASA Group, FloraHolland, and VGB, have come
together to develop the new RFID tag for CC Containers.
Also, retailers and other parties in the horticultural industry
are increasingly demanding optimised logistics in general.
RFID is an important step in this direction.
* RFID = Radio Frequency IdentiƁcation
For more information:
OPERATION:
ON:
RFID in the horticultural industry is powered by IBM.
www.operation-chip-it.com
#HIP)T
With
W
it RFID into the future
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2009
i Fair 102
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Table of Contents
September 2009 Volume 19 Number 9
Concentrated on a
colourful future
The Dutch phalaenopsis sector has made great strides, but the
experience of an overcrowded market is changing the definition of a
saleable product. A market where earnings could be made purely on
the name “phalaenopsis” has been superseded by a market with new
objectives where product differentiation (with a critical eye on variety
specifications) and highly automated systems feature strongly in a
colourful future.
by Ron van der Ploeg and Anabel Evans
10
New Outlook on Chrysants
The downy mildew blues
The “Delishow” flowering trials and exhibitions are integral to Deliflor Latin America’s
new outlook on chrysanthemums: a
different way, a different approach,
a different future.
Growers who have suffered severe losses
from downy mildew will have learned to
carefully watch the weather and will not
greet overcast days with a smile. Epidemics,
however, are a result of poor control in the
past, which is why it is possible to predict
where downy mildew can begin again.
by Anabel Evans
13
Shop Window is Open
by Louise Labuschagne
The Floranova Group held the official opening
of its new Trial Garden and Show House in
July. The occasion marks the company’s
move into an exciting phase of sales and
marketing activities for both their flowers and ornamental edibles.
by Anabel Evans
14
International rendezvous in Maresme
by Dr Miguel Merino-Pacheco
Sounding-board bids
new knowledge
16
by Judith Blokland
Roses “passing on a
moving band”
A cutting edge picking system has been
installed at Van der Deijl Roses in the
Netherlands, with the aim of achieving
significant, supply chain cost savings.
by Ron van der Ploeg
Departments
25
Proflora in Bogotá opens
new doors
Importing, exporting and growing jumbo trees
for outdoor ‘green’ spaces is one thing. But
what about a large Ficus nitida and Bucida
buceras for office buildings, or towering
Livistona palm trees in a shopping mall?
Curiosity as to what is behind the promised
“new doors” of this year’s Proflora,
FloraCulture has invited Augusto Solano
and his colleagues, Cristina Uricoechea and
Jairo Cadavid, to give their opinions on
Proflora’s business opportunities, the effects
of the economic downturn and Colombia’s
impressive Land of Flowers campaign.
18
50
23
Trees and plants with
sky-high potential
Patent rights have entered the plant
breeding domain, but unlike the breeder’s
rights system, there isn’t an agreement on
breeder’s exemption. This is threatening the
balance between rewarding a breeder for his/
her innovation efforts and the continual
improvement of varieties by other
breeders.
DLV Plant is renowned in the Netherlands as
an independent advisory and research partner
for the green sectors. Since a managementbuy-out in 2005, DLV Plant services have
realized an expansion into countries outside
the Netherlands.
by Anabel Evans
In an event recently organized by Viridalia,
the Association of Nurseries of the Province of
Barcelona, some of the most internationally
active nurseries and related companies presented their products and explained their
activities to customers, journalists
and interested public.
21
Backlash brewing in
breeders’ domain
27
International Events
World News
Prices
Advertising Index
Columns
In My Opinion
Globe
Dust
Awareness
Miami
Touch
Stuff
33
35
49
53
6
15
19
41
43
45
51
September 2009 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com
05
Colofon
In my opinion
FloraCulture International (ISSN1051-9076) is published monthly.Worldwide distribution.
©
2009 FloraCulture International magazine. All rights reserved. No portion of editorial may
be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher. Publisher is not liable
for advertisements using illegally obtained images. Send address changes to FloraCulture
International magazine, P.O.Box 82, 1850 AB Heiloo, theNetherlands.
Win-Win in motion
Editorial & Administration Offices
Ron van
der Ploeg
Dennis
Seriese
Claudia
Stokreef
Arturo
Croci
Lotte
Bjarke
Marta Pizanode Marque
William
Armellini
Paul
Black
Lucas
Nicholas
Eyal
Policar
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Editors: Anabel Evans (anabel@floracultureinternational.com)
Ron van der Ploeg (ron@floracultureinternational.com)
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Horti Tecnia Ltda., Calle 85 No20-25 Of. 202B, Bogotá, Colombia
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The lifespan of a supply chain relies on all players manoeuvring
their role into a win-win situation. In this September issue
we have briefly interrupted the work of various parties
participating in a diverse range of product chains, from potted
plants and cut flowers to trees that reach the skylights of
shopping malls. Obviously, the ambitious interviewees have
their own news to tell, but being the messenger I have the
benefit of a complete overview – so, be warned and enjoy and
absorb the common denominator of “knowledge sharing”.
I don’t pretend that the exchange of knowledge is out of
the ordinary; interacting with suppliers and customers is
fundamental to business. What strikes me from these reports,
however, is that the pressure on triggering sales and product
quality guarantees is broadening the knowledge source base.
In the Netherlands, for example, the orchid growers are in
negotiation over a plan to give orchid sales an impulse; one
of the key points is to collectively share information. Across
the Channel, an English seed company has invested in a
“shop window” to receive visiting industry partners while
its breeders simultaneously travel much more in the field.
The similar, close interaction with more growers, sought by
breeders, is also strongly evident in Spain, Latin America
and The Netherlands. Growers are not inactive either: the
Colombian Land of Flowers campaign has been travelling the
world during the last two years to share its industry’s strengths
with distant markets.
The intermediary role of skilled specialists, either service
suppliers or independent advisors, is also witnessing an
expansion into foreign countries. Furthermore, knowledge
sourced from outside industries, especially in the area
of internal logistics, is shown to be providing advanced,
industrial “fresh quality” solutions.
Even though it is inappropriate at this point in the crisis to be
overconfident, these entrepreneurs and the knowledge network
around them certainly boosts the industry atmosphere… we
can say win-win is in motion.
Anabel Evans, Editor
Eiji
Yoshikawa
FloraCulture International (ISSN1051-9076) is published monthly.
Worldwide distribution. ©2009 FloraCulture International magazine.
W
All rights reserved. No portion of editorial may be reproduced in any
A
fform without written permission of the publisher. Publisher is not
liable
for
advertisements
using illegally obtained images. Send address changes to
6001554_06_Colofon.indd 6
FloraCulture International magazine, P.O.Box 82,1850 AB Heiloo, the Netherlands.
Cilla Lowen
27-04-2009 13:08:58
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Potted Plants
The Dutch
phalaenopsis
sector has made
great strides, but
the experience of
an overcrowded
market is changing
the definition of a
saleable product.
A market where
earnings could be
made purely on the
name “phalaenopsis”
has been superseded
by a market with
new objectives
where product
differentiation (with a
critical eye on variety
specifications) and
highly automated
systems feature
strongly in a colourful
future.
and Anabel Evans
Concentrated
on a colourful
future
T
he summer of 2009 marked
the completion of an impressive renovation project at
De Vreede Orchids in Bleiswijk,
which was celebrated with an Open
Day in June. Visitors saw that the
present day phalaenopsis production
at De Vreede is a big and highly
automated business. Dutch moth
orchid growers John and Herman
de Vreede have set their sights on
lowering production costs, while
still guaranteeing premium quality
orchids.
In the Netherlands alone the total
production of potted orchids has
grown from 23 ha to 99 ha, but the
De Vreede brothers are keeping a
strong faith in their future. Their
miniature phalaenopsis coming in
9 cm pots and six different colours
help the company stand out in a
market that is indeed overcrowded,
but is still offering good opportunities. John de Vreede says his
company also feels the effects of
the worldwide economic downturn
to some extent, but describes the
situation in the bigger pot sizes and
single stems as much more dramatic.
“We refuse to believe in gloom
and doom. Our product is unique
in terms of size, added value and
uniformity. It allows for the efficient
loading of Danish trolleys and is
year round, daily fresh with three
shipments per day.”
The annual output of the 6.2 ha
greenhouses in Bleiswijk (finished
products) and Bergschenhoek
(young plants) is five million plants
of which 50% is already sold six
months before delivery. Only 5%
of the plants are marketed via the
auction clock which De Vreede
considers as too unpredictable.
De Vreede’s collection of miniature
phalaenopsis, bred by its neighbour
Anthura, bears the names of six
cities: Buenos Aires, Manchester,
John and Herman de Vreede.
10
www.FloraCultureInternational.com | September 2009
Mexico City, Mukalla, Pompei and
Venice. The new City-series is part
of an impressive €100,000 media
and marketing plan including a new
brand: GO (Global Orchids) and
company name DO (De Vreede Orchids). Funny thing is that neither of
the De Vreede brothers can recall in
which country the city of Mukalla is
exactly located!
DO has reached a high level of automation for the activities managed at
its main production site in Bleiswijk.
The company’s pride is the Javo
Direct potting machine which helps
the bark to maintain its airy structure. “In conventional machines
the spilled bark travelled quite a
long way before it was returned to
the bunker. This caused segregation
of the bark making it dustier. The
Direct potting machine has been
revolutionary for returning the bark
immediately on the rotating pot
disc,” says De Vreede. DO’s potting
line includes a ‘collar applicator’; a
robot that provides the potted plants
with a collar, so avoiding leaf damage and ensuring a logistic system
that runs smoothly.
An even bigger breakthrough is the
extension of the Javo Direct, the
Directomatic, which introduces
up to 50% reduction in labour
by automating the planting of the
bare-rooted plantlets. The tests have
not been completed and so this new
machine is not yet operational. An
absolute first are the 10 so-called
MNOR robots (Mobile Deposing
and Collecting Robots), which
ensure the smooth internal transport
of the roll containers, while a staking
machine automatically provides each
plant with a support stake in a fully
upright position.
A distinctive colour
and flowering
performance are
criteria that have
made Solid Gold
from Peerdeman
Orchideeën famous
in the wholesale
trade with prices
reflecting the extra
value.
Phalaenopsis name
not enough
The two brothers leading the
phalaenopsis breeding and selection
business of Peerdeman Orchideeën
in Andijk, which was started by
their father in 1985, are also concentrating on innovative growing
concepts and variety renewal. Arjen
Peerdeman says, “Our grower clients
have always looked to source new
colours. And while the introduction
of novel flower colours is still of the
highest importance, alongside colour
other marketing criteria have been
developed which include certain
minimum performance characteristics: two stems, 10 flowers per stem,
good growth rate and shape.” Product differentiation is also steering
production towards a wider range
of pot sizes: “The traditional 12 cm
remains the standard, but as companies search for their own niche sales
we see specific quantities of 15 cm
potted orchids for luxury sales (gifts,
hotels) and 6 cm for the impulse
sales based on convenience. In between the 15 and 6 cm, the 12 cm
is accompanied by the lower priced
9 cm pots, both targeting premium
sales by florists and the standard
quality demands of garden centres.”
In all sizes, renewal in the market
is very quick. “Our experience
with Solid Gold illustrates a typical
product cycle; commercial volumes
have been built up to a peak over
2008/2009, however, by the end of
2011 it will have disappeared,” says
Peerdeman, who is not disillusioned
by this prognosis. Working closely
with growers and the trade, he is
highly motivated by the challenge of
variety renewal. He says, “You have
to be ready for the market. We are
always busy developing a lot of new
varieties! Each year we test 80-100
potential novelties, 10% of which
on average pass the approval of our
in-house standards. A pre-commercial phase of trials by growers (in
their own greenhouses) is organised
to make the final decision about
which of these approved varieties are
chosen for the consumer market.”
The customer-driven strategy for
breeding selections is copied in their
production protocols: five years ago
Peerdeman started to study new
growing concepts. He explains, “The
days when growers earned money by
selling purely on the name - phalaenopsis - are over. Growers are, and
have to be, more critical of quality.
We see how plants delivered in
community trays that do not meet
the 12 cm potting size standard,
for example, have changed from
being called ‘minors’ to ‘errors’; a
wastage that generally averages 10%.
Expectations in the sector are rising;
the target is a 100% guarantee of
plant quality and size. In fact within
two years, I can see that seed trays
will be obsolete in our shipment
services. The trays are impractical
in automated systems and instead,
as suppliers of bare-rooted plantlets
to young plants ready for flower
inducement, we will be operating
an automated potting and grading
line to guarantee the specifications
of plants before shipment to endgrowers.” Peerdeman is convinced of
the value of automation to the supply chain, however before he invests,
he beleieves that the supply chain
must first come to a consensus about
minimum product specifications.
Peerdeman’s ambitions surrounding
the continuity of timely novelty
introductions and quality guarantees
using highly automated systems bid
a colourful phalaenopsis future, but
he is not ignorant of the current
economic pressure. He ends, “It is
fair to say that this year has to be
considered a survival year, but we are
confident about our planned activities running into 2010/11/12.”
Group initiative for
sales impulse
Strategies to revive the orchids market are not restricted to individual
entrepreneurs. In June, ten growers1
together with FloraHolland and
Florpartners invited Dutch orchid
growers to a meeting at FloraHolland in Naaldwijk. An audience of
almost 100 growers (around 70%
of the Dutch orchid growers) were
introduced to the plans for a new
initiative aimed at giving orchid
sales a boost. Market analyses (e.g.
demand and supply, product specifications), promotional activities and
sales actions are the focal point of
the planned cooperation, with funds
sourced via a nominal contribution from the sales turnover of the
participating companies: 0.01% and
0.02% in 2009 and 2010, respectively. In mid-August, Ron Fransen
from Levoplant, one of the initiators
says, “Since the first meeting in
June, more than 50% of the growers
have confirmed their interest in our
plan. At the end of September, we
will be organising a second meeting
to present a detailed business plan to
the interested parties.” The goal is to
have the campaign up and running
in November 2009. |||
1
Ron Fransen (Levoplant), Arno van
der Maarel (Maarel Orchids), Marco
Hendriks (Opti-flor), Ronald van
Geest (van Geest Orchideeën), Jan
Stolk (Stolk Flora), Eduard ter Laak
(Ter Laak Orchideeën), Hans Smaal
and Albert Veerman (So Natural),
Corstiaan Stolk (Stolk BV), Robin van
Weerdenburg (Aphrodite Orchidee)
and Eric Moor (Sion).
11
Cut Flowers
The “Delishow”
flowering trials
and exhibitions are
integral to Deliflor
Latin America’s
new outlook on
chrysanthemums:
a different way, a
different approach, a
different future. Jan
Haaksman, Deliflor
area manager for
Asia and America,
says, “The world has
become a metropolis
where products are
moving from growers
to consumers at a
speed never realized
before in history.
Gaining and utilizing
information from
as many sources as
possible is the key to
adapt breeding goals
to market demands,
changing the face of
conducting business
for breeders and
growers alike.”
by Anabel Evans
New Outlook
on Chrysants
D
eliflor Latin America emphasizes the importance of
close interaction between
grower, traders and breeder. Under
the lead of managing director,
Manuel Marin, and his team, Deliflor has an open door policy and
constantly invites growers to visit its
premises in El Carmen de Viboral,
in the midst of the chrysanthemum
growers in the Medellin area. Due
to the increased need for efficiency
and productivity in cultivation on
the large farms in Latin America,
Deliflor is also providing the much
needed cultivation support.
The breeder is unique in this approach in Colombia. Haaksman
says, “Some farms have as many as
165 chrysanthemum varieties in
production, all of which have to
be coordinated with the mother
plants, propagation, cultivation and
post harvest departments. To help
the farms keep a focus on quality
cultivation, rather than being ‘blinded’ by the day to day organisation,
Flowering trials
Manuel Marin, managing director Deliflor
Latin America.
Jan Haaksman, area manager Asia &
America at Deliflor Chrysanten.
regular appointments with their
agronomists and managers are
made.” He adds, “While the challenges on the Colombian farms are
ever increasing, buyers worldwide
recognize how quickly Colombian
farms adapt to market demands.
Supplying-to-requirements is
strengthening their position as
global players and long term
relationships are the norm rather
than the exception. The knowledge
sharing aspect is the key to keep
driving efficiency and creativity.”
ped protocols to provide in vitro
materials for the replacement of
mother plants.
Deliflor Latin America was officially founded in 2008, but its history
goes back to 2001 when Deliflor
became the first chrysanthemum
breeder to start testing new clones
in different parts of the world.
Nowadays, Deliflor Latin America
forms a unique and integral part
of the Deliflor breeding and global
development program, consisting
of a network of testing stations in
the Netherlands, Italy, Colombia,
Malaysia, Ecuador and Japan.
Worldwide, Deliflor Chrysanten
headquartered in the Netherlands
(and part of the Beekenkamp
Group) is active in marketing and
sales activities in over 35 countries.
The assortment consists of sprayand disbudded chrysanthemums
and santinis and includes more
than 200 cultivars. |||
Global program
From the farm premises of Flores
Silvestres, where Deliflor Latin
America has its office, the Latin
American market is being provided
with clean materials of the newest
variety selections like Anastasia,
Zembla and Athos. Deliflor also
has collaboration with the in
vitro lab Parque Techológico de
Antioquia S.A. with self develo-
13
Patio Edibles and Flowering Plants
The Floranova Group
held the official
opening of its new
Trial Garden and Show
House on Thursday 23
July 2009. Managing
director, Dominic
Lacey, emphasised in
his welcome speech
to invited guests
how the occasion
marks the company’s
move into an exciting
phase of sales and
marketing activities
for both their flowers
and ornamental
edibles.
Shop Window is Open
S
by Anabel Evans
14
ince the Group was acquired
by Jeff Colegrave, the last four
years have seen a concentration
on investments in breeding programs, seed technology (including
research facilities), product introduction protocols, a comprehensive
IT system and customer service.
Dominic Lacey says, “The internal
building blocks required to be a
credible and reliable partner in a
creative, high quality supply chain to
the end consumers are in place.” The
moment to start rolling out their
new genetics has been reached.
Patio Edibles are the hot news with
this brand of ornamental vegetables
managed under a new daughter
company Vegetalis. Lacey comments, “This trendy consumer market has been considered too small
by the traditional vegetable breeders
and largely escaped the attention
of flower- and plant breeders. We
believe, however, it is an extremely
interesting market.”
Their breeding work is coming
to fruition at a timely moment
with grow-your-own signalled as a
new interest area in the media and
among consumers, especially in
America and the UK. The response
from the company’s participation in
the California Pack Trials and the
Flower Trials confirmed a similar
high level of industry interest.
Kate Monaghan, marketing manager, points out that the selections
in the Patio Edibles line have
enticing traits for both growers and
consumers: “Similar to bedding and
container plants, it has to be easy
for the consumers to envisage what
they are buying. The Sweet ‘n Neat
tomatoes are a super example of this
with our Show House presentations capturing the sales moment
(photograph) - full of green fruit
the consumers will be enjoying their
pickings within three weeks.” The
attention to the point of sale presentation is evident among the wide
assortment from aubergine, basil,
chive, okra, (hot and sweet) peppers,
pumpkin, strawberry, zucchini, not
forgetting the added-value mixed
packs. Monaghan adds, “There is
more to come to interest consumers!
Why not stripy or extraordinary
coloured fruits? Unusual novelties
are always good eye-catchers for the
line’s promotion at retail.”
The Group’s creative breeding
programs are headed by research
director, Paul Talmadge, who
together with seven other breeders at three different locations in
Europe, California and Costa Rica
are proactive in the technical aspects
of breeding and also the commercial
performance of varieties, from seed
by Sjaak Langeslag
Globe
Crazy world
Prices for flowers, bulbs and other ornamentals have been down for
quite some time. Speaking to marketing specialists, public servants
or politicians, they will tell you that there is global over production
and decreasing demand. All pleads for support are rejected using
this argument. And yet, when it comes to the car manufacturing
industry, support is granted. With subsidies from governments in
Germany, Holland, France and the United States people are stimulated to buy new cars with a bonus given to old car scrappers.
A Festive Opening
Dominic Lacey (right), managing director of the Floranova Group, welcomed visitors to
their new “shop window” - the finishing touch to the company’s modernized production
facilities. The new Trial Garden and Show House are open to growers, distributors and
retailers - a showcase for the Floranova and Vegetalis creative breeding programs in geraniums, petunias, salvia, marigolds, a wide range of other crops and, of course, the new
line of Patio Edibles. Lacey says, “This platform for displaying new genetics is a visual
statement of our commitment to the horticultural sector where we want to work with as
many companies as possible to develop products with a win-win result.”
Planting a tree in the Trial Garden and cutting the ribbon to the Show House, Peter
Seabrook MBE (left) officially opened the new facilities at the Floranova and Vegetalis
headquarters in Norfolk, UK. His career in the seed trade started in the early 1950s
in Essex and having experienced the dramatic decrease in the number of local seed
companies as the business became national, Pan-European and finally global, he first
complimented Floranova on its achievements and position as one of only two remaining
independent seed companies in the UK. “But today is about the future,” Seabrook says,
and here, his advice focuses on “quality” and “value for money”. He does not believe it
is worth spending time on conversations about prices. He says, “The industry needs to
strive to raise the game and should not be afraid to charge what the products are worth.”
to garden. Talmadge says, “Going
back three years now, our strategy
has been to have much more contact
with growers. Our interest has been
to pay a higher degree of attention
to the plants in the field, from
seed to end-user. Of course beauty
and garden performance are very
important in any new variety, but
professional products for today’s
industry must perform equally well
at germination, the plug stage and
in the greenhouse (pre-sale). The
feedback we receive from the industry while travelling, as well as the
contacts from pre-introduction trials
of new varieties, all comes together
into our breeding developments.”
Finally, we cannot leave the Show
House without reviewing the
Floranova shop window of bedding
and container plants. Renowned for
their pelargoniums from seed in the
UK and USA, new in 2009 is the
Dancer F2 series in six separate colours. Kate Monaghan says, “This
is an excellent quality geranium,
which is significantly cheaper than
F1 alternatives.” In the Floranova
flagship series, Horizon, Picotee
Violet Shades is a new colour for
2009: “There are 25 colours in this
series with our breeding program
continuing to explore novelty
shades and seed quality.” In the
F1 Vinca selection the new BOA
series in five colours has a trailing
habit, large flowers and is well
suited to mid-season sales (photograph). “Our breeding program
in Costa Rica for the vincas is
concentrating on creating F1s for a
wide range of climatic conditions.
BOA joins the Vitesse, Viper and
Cobra series,” says Monaghan. |||
Let us take a look at the building sector. Enormous numbers of
houses and offices have been built, which could only be sold via
creative mortgages and loans. The bankers were lining up to help
this sector sell all of these buildings. Today, many cannot be sold
because there is a huge surplus combined with lack of demand (notice the similarity again!). What happens? Politicians are stumbling
over one another to bring forward suggestions for aid programs.
They are of the opinion that this sector needs absolute full support
because otherwise the unemployment rates will rocket sky-high. I
assume this is bad for their image and will make them lose votes in
elections, but I may be wrong about this.
But all this is still not really crazy. The real craziness is in the
financial world.
We are living through a crisis where tax money has kept the financial sector alive because politicians and bankers made us believe
that it would be the end of mankind if the banks collapsed. And
see what happened? The unexpected resurrection became true.
Banks and bankers are here again! Big bonuses are the talk of the
town in the USA, and in the UK Barclays announced a profit for
the first half of 2009 of €3,34 billion! HSBC holds a profit of €5
billion! (If you don’t believe your eyes, just read it again slowly; I
checked the figures and they are correct). Bankers are screaming
with laughter. Yeah, big bonuses are in the air again!
When I look at all this, there is only one conclusion: margins and
profits in the finance sector are absurd. When you have money in
your savings account you receive almost zero interest; when you
need credit or a loan, they will charge you the maximum interest.
There is an old saying in the trade: where there is no credit, there is
no business. This is the real problem in our sector.
Politicians: make the bankers lend money to get businesses going
and stop them grabbing tax payers and business people’s money.
End this crazy world of bonuses and help those who really work
for their money, be it producers in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin
America, the Middle East or the US. These are the people who are
essential for mankind and who are in need now, not the bankers!
Sjaak Langeslag is director of Agriraad, strategy
and consultancy. He is also President of the
Royal General Bulbgrowers’ Association (KAVB)
in the Netherlands and Secretary General of AIPH.
Langeslag@agriraad.nl
15
Nurseries and Breeders
In an event recently
organized by Viridalia,
the Association
of Nurseries of
the Province of
Barcelona, of which
Maresme is a part,
some of the most
internationally active
nurseries and related
companies presented
their products
and explained
their activities to
customers, journalists
and interested public.
by Dr Miguel Merino-Pacheco
(mittelmeer@gmail.com)
16
International
rendezvous
in Maresme
N
ortheast of Barcelona, along
the Mediterranean coast,
squeezed between the sea
and a chain of low hills parallel to
it, lies a small coastal plain, some 40
km long and scarcely 20 km wide.
It is the Maresme, a production
venue for high quality ornamentals
and nursery material, which also
acts as a commercial hub to source
ornamentals plants for north eastern
Spain and southern France.
Originally Maresme was the
vegetable garden of Barcelona, and
later became a cut flower production
area. Today, mostly bedding and pot
plants are the final products. Growers and nurseries, however, must
struggle constantly with the strong
competition for space from building
developments. Proximity to the
great city of Barcelona and a coast
with a privileged climate has made
the area a prime target for tourists
and city dwellers. Under these conditions, it makes sense to work with
only the most valuable horticultural
products, which is exactly what is
presently happening in Maresme.
Plant material hub
Aldrufeu Associats, for instance,
is a supplier of cuttings, mostly of
aromatic plants, obtained through
advanced methods of in vitro cultivation. Aldrufeu’s catalogue is not
very large, but it covers an interesting
range of plants and the technical
capabilities of the company are recognized. Besides aromatics, it offers
climbers, shrubs, conifers, ferns.
Cultius La Vinya is another company worth mentioning because of its
efforts – and success – in obtaining,
through hybridization, new varieties
of Hibiscus rosa sinensis, characterized by its strength and colours. The
hibiscus are marketed under their
own trade mark, Vinya Star.
Group Roig is one of the largest and
more developed breeders and traders
of plant material in the area and in
Spain. Its special product is cuttings,
which are sold with the support of
a team of highly trained technicians. The idea is that the service the
company provides to its customers
does not stop at the door of their
own nursery, but goes deep into
the greenhouse of the buyer. The
company sells some 25 million cuttings annually. Abroad, the company
is regularly represented in Portugal
and France.
Some of the basic breeding material
is obtained in collaboration with an
official local research institution, the
IRTA (Institute for the Development of Agricultural Technologies,
run by the regional government of
Catalonia), which has a research
station in the area. This collaboration produces results; one successful
commercial project is the development of two lines of geraniums,
specially adapted for growing at high
temperatures. The lines are called
Costa Brava and Costa Daurada
(photograph). Pelargonium has
been, from the very beginning,
the flagship of Cultius Roig. The
company also sources its material
from prestigious breeders all across
of plant material are also present
in the area. Selecta and Syngenta
Flowers are the most visible and they
do not need an extra presentation
here. Some other companies have
an in between position regarding
local production and distribution of
imported plant material, like Plantbanc, which distributes well known
roses (Poulsen Roser) together with
rooted cuttings of aromatics and
poinsettias; or CCM Euromaresme,
which offers material mainly of
French origin (Plandorex, CalletHerault, Boyard in aromatics).
Services to breeders
Europe, like the African Elegance
kalanchoes of Knud Jepsen from
Denmark, for instance.
Miquel Lloveras is also a supplier of
plant material with more than 250
products, from traditional winners
like petunia, impatiens, begonia,
primula, viola… to really innovative
propositions like mini vegetables,
kitchen herbs and grasses. These are
“ornamentals to taste”. Another interesting proposition is its line “Plants
for the Climate Change”, giving a
new marketing angle to introductions like the South African Kniphofia
uvaria (photograph) or the Brazilian
Portulaca grandiflora.
Some other producers of plant
material are Maresme Planteles, a
breeder and grower of aromatic and
Mediterranean plants like rosmarinus, salvia, lavandula and more
traditional flowering plants like
lantana, gazania, osteospermum.
Or Riera Villagrasa, whose main
products are aromatic and medicinal
plants and kitchen herbs produced
under ecological conditions.
Of course, international providers
For over 90 years, many things have spoken
for our substrates – your plants, for instance!
Your passion is our calling –
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Three market novelties and good reasons for your success:
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the world’s largest known recipe archive
To finish the presentation of the
nursery system of Maresme, it is necessary to mention companies providing services to breeders. Plantinova,
To do the best. Since 1919!
being a subsidiary of PLA International (Denmark), is a company
Hall 2 · Stand 02.0118
www.floragard.com · Tel. 0049 441 2092-0
offering services to breeders from all
over the world for the introduction
and marketing of new ornamental
plants and varieties. The company
Floragard_85x124.indd 1
19-08-2009
does not have its own production
but represents the interests of well
known breeders, such as Sakata or
Paul Ecke. Plantinova runs trials and
also takes care of other activities,
e.g. establishing license structures,
collection of fees and promotion of
the new crops or varieties.
Nursery activity is the backbone of
any regional ornamental industry: without proper reproductive
material, which is well adapted to the
climatic conditions, the socio-economic realities and the wishes of the
consumers (at home and abroad),
companies will always remain highly
dependent on the decisions taken
elsewhere. In Maresme, the foundations for the development of local
reproductive materials are taking
shape. A broad supply of foreign material, and the capability to propagate
it, is also present.
• Best quality & design
Downstream, the influence of the
area is felt as far afield as Portugal,
• Flip-over signs
France, Italy… and is increasing. For
foreigners wishing to get in touch
• OverÅow hole with plug
with the ornamentals world in Spain,
especially regarding pot and bedding
• Adjustable display levels
plants and related species, a visit to
for raised/angled exposure
the nurseries in Maresme is a must. |||
POT OLÉ W.E.T. COMPANY APS
Roedsvej 10 • DK-4300 Holbæk • Tef. +45 59 44 59 99 • Fax +45 59 44 44 81
pot-ole@hansen.mail.dk • www.wet-trays.dk
09:28:22
Interior Landscaping
Importing, exporting
and growing jumbo
trees for outdoor
‘green’ spaces is one
thing. But what about
a large Ficus nitida
and Bucida buceras
for office buildings,
or towering Livistona
palm trees in a
shopping mall? Sales
manager Quirinus
van Trigt of Fachjan,
a leading interior
landscaping company,
points out that this
is real specialist
work requiring a high
level of knowledge
and skill. Fachjan
is in the position to
offer its customers
sound advice and
information about
suitable species, plant
care and growing
conditions.
Sky-high potential
T
he most spectacular publicity
Fachjan ever received was in
2002 when the company’s
major trees played a minor role in
the James Bond movie Die Another
Day. Just as spectacular is the
company itself with its 16 m high
greenhouse, built in 1998 and the
tallest in Europe.
From all corners of the
world
Founded in 1981 as an ordinary
potted plant nursery by the father of
the current owners, it was 17 years
later that Fachjan decided to also
undertake less mainstream activities.
That’s why in Fachjan’s 35,000 m2
greenhouses you’ll find both small
to medium sized indoor plants like
scindapsus, sanseviera and philodendron for the regular auction sales,
along with an impressive collection
of around 150 species of tall to extra
tall tropical and subtropical plants
and trees in all shapes and from all
corners of the world. “Up to 50%
of the trees such as Ficus binnendijkii Alii, Livistona and Bucera are
imported from regular suppliers
in Florida, but we also purchase
our trees in China, Malaysia and
Thailand. Other more rare species
like Chorisia speciosa come from
Argentina. Closer to home we
import palm trees from the Spanish
Valencia region renowned for its
hardy palms with strong fronds.”
Behind the scenes
18
People generally don’t realise what
goes on behind the scenes when
importing plants for interior
landscaping. In the country of origin
established trees have to be transplanted from the open ground into
containers. Transplanting should
take place during the dormant
season and to prepare the tree for
its long distance move, the roots
around its root ball are pruned with
the help of a sharp spade three to
six months before transplanting.
New roots appear from the severed
roots and when the moment for
transplanting arrives, the trees are
dug up leaving around 10-15 cm
around the earlier, root-pruning ‘cut’
to capture the maximum number
of new roots. “The trees are placed
into a large container to acclimatise
under shade nets for at least three to
four months. The trees, sometimes 6
to 7 m tall are then prepared for sea
transport, wrapping them entirely in
packaging film. Upon arrival in our
greenhouses, the plants are directly
unwrapped and left to acclimatise
for another period. In Fachjan’s premises real wonders of nature unfold
themselves. “One good example
would be the aforementioned Chorisia speciosa. This tree was imported
with hardly any roots and sawn
branches. But the silk floss tree is so
powerful that the roots started to
develop very rapidly and in one year
it was ready for sale.”
Green giants
Talking about sales, Germany is
Fachjan’s major market with the
Stuttgart Zoo, the Wilhemina
Tiergarten and the Leipzig Zoo
housing some of Fachjan’s impressive green giants. “But our trees can
also be found in shopping malls and
office buildings in eastern European
countries like Poland and Croatia;
at Hong Kong’s airport; and even
on big cruise ships like the Celebrity
Equinox, where huge Ficus nitida
adorn a never seen before lawn deck
and golf course,” said Van Trigt.
He adds that over the last decade
Fachjan has rapidly evolved into
a trustworthy supplier to interior
landscape designers and has witnessed a high demand for its services
and skills. “We are an intermediary
firm between the local landscaper
and end consumer. We never deal
directly with end consumers but on
many occasions we have been asked
to visit and give advice. The first
thing that I consider is the environmental factors pertaining to the area
under design. The main considerations include light (this could
include artificial or natural light),
the supply of water, drainage, air
circulation and many other factors
that are related to interior landscaping plants. In a shopping mall, for
example, the root ball of the trees is
placed in 3 m deep containers under
the ground, which means that you
have to double check the groundwater level. In a hotel lobby plants will
constantly suffer from air circulation
so here it’s fundamental to have the
right species on the right spot. The
same goes for tropical swimming
pools. Here, you’d better not place
a razor-sharp Pandamus palm or
a Ficus that constantly drops its
leaves onto the water. Creativity is
another aspect. In a shopping mall
you’ll find different coffee corners.
Why not embellish them with our
beautiful coffee trees?”
Quality
‘Quality’ is fundamental to the
company, with each species
having its own customized mix of
fertilizers, administered especially
in springtime. Fachjan grows its
plants in an environmental-friendly
manner complying with the MPSA standards. “We fully support
environmental-friendly production
although we have serious concerns
about the new EU pesticides regulation, reducing the number of plant
protection products on the market.
This makes combating pests like
mealy bugs extremely difficult.”
With most of its suppliers Fachjan
has a long term relationship: “So, we
oblige ourselves to provide only the
best trees and plants. In the world of
interior landscaping this an absolute
must. For outdoor landscaping purposes the customer is aware that the
tree will recover and grow further
in the garden and some damage or
defects are more easily accepted.
Whereas, for indoor landscape
projects, all trees and plants must
create an instant impact in office
buildings: interior landscaping with
plants enhances the look of the place
and makes it green and pleasing to
the eyes. Therefore, Fachjan cannot
make any concession concerning
beauty.”
by Hans de Vries
PLANT
INVIGORATOR
“Lasting Treasure”
The UNIQUE 3 in 1 Pesticide /
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Controls important pest species including
Whitefly, Aphid, Spider Mite, Mealybug and Scale
For use on ALL edible and ornamental crops
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For further information and SBPI distributors,
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It is all done, or almost. We start off at Valentine’s 2010. Several
years ago we welcomed the original mother plant into our house. A
greenish kind of phalaenopsis, which has been blooming ever since.
There is just no end. One set of flowers follows the other. Not an
occasional flower, but at least 25 blooms at every given moment.
There is no end to this ever blooming pleasure. Or, as we patented
the name: “Lasting Treasure”.
The plan slowly grew on me while the plant refused to die. After
enjoying this wonder for several years I decided to use this miracle to
start a brand new line of business and make a new step in my career.
Secretly I obtained as much knowledge as possible and we started to
multiply tissue in Vietnam. Through developing a full colour range
we now have the most spectacular phalaenopsis line possible. All
colours and... with a certificate to guarantee five years continuous
flowering.
Wrong timing you say? With phalaenopsis being over produced in
huge numbers and its prices going down the drain? Wrong thinking.
Perfect timing actually. Our spectacular line and business strategy
gives us the best possible start and will wipe out competition. As you
might, or might not know, we have a Dutch Bank which is one of
the very few triple AAA banks in the world. The safest bank possible
can pick up as much as they like for 1% interest. This particular
bank was very eager to participate in my new plan, which, as I might
modestly say, is brilliant and explores today’s possibilities to the
limit.
At what other time could I (with an 1% interest and network of my
companion) pick up brand new enterprises for less than 50% of
their original building costs? Some of them are already owned by
my partner, as they made the small mistake in these past years to
stimulate hundreds of hectares of new greenhouses as sale & lease
back constructions. By taking them off the hands of these unlucky
growers they are teaching them not to mess the bank around.
Extensive
know-how
,
innovative
solutions an
d
custom-m
ade
design
HAWE gets a move
on with your production
HAWE Systems Europe BV
At what other time could I find the number of excellent phalaenopsis
growers needed for this plan? This could never have been accomplished while times were prosperous but they are waiting in line now.
And for sales, we made a deal with four major European supermarket giants for our entire production. 30 million items in 2010 and
a million a week for the five years following. Razor sharp prices but
guaranteed sales and no additional sales costs. Our Dutch auction
will be used to rid ourselves of the occasional bad quality and surpluses. For the rest, no middleman, just a straight deal connecting
our factory to their outlet. Man, do I love this crisis, a real Lasting
Treasure.
offers innovative solutions
HAWE
knows the
horticulture
through and
through
for internal logistics and
transportsystems in
horticulture. Development,
production and after sales
are provided by its own
specialists.
SYSTEMSGROUP
Oosteindsepad 8
2661 EP Bergschenhoek
The Netherlands
T +31 (0)10 521 27 55
F +31 (0)10 521 76 16
W www.hawe.nl
Hans de Vries is a grower
in Kudelstraat, the Netherlands.
hans@jdevries.nl
www.jdevries.nl
19
V
Fl isi
or t u
H
al Sh ma s a
l 1 o rt t
, S w 2 M th
ta 00 iflo e
nd 9 r
B
35
Innovations for growing success
Our customers expect superior quality
and reliable service with competitive prices.
You can depend on us. Always.
Pöppelmann Plastics UK Ltd.
Unity House, Rotterdam Road · Hull HU7 OXD
Phone 01482 373930 · Fax 01482 373939
teku-uk@poeppelmann.com · www.teku.com
Poppelman_178x124.indd 1
19-08-2009 09:32:00
8î`gXike\i]fijlZZ\j
Please visit us
at the
Hortifair 2009
stand no.
07.0916
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19-08-2009 09:27:38
Crop Protection
Growers who have
suffered severe losses
from downy mildew
will have learned to
carefully watch the
weather and will not
greet overcast days
with a smile. Downy
mildew is the most
devastating disease of
roses, as it seems to
develop into epidemic
proportions almost
overnight, with huge
economic impact.
Epidemics of this
kind, however, are a
result of poor control
in the past: it is not
only systemic, but can
also remain dormant
on crop debris and
on the stems of rose
plants during periods
when the weather
is not conducive to
disease expression.
This is why it is
possible to predict
where downy mildew
can begin again.
The downy mildew blues
F
orewarned is forearmed and if
information on previous distribution patterns of downy
mildew is used wisely, the grower
will be ready to take pre-emptive
action in advance of the onset of
downy mildew weather. The disease
declines as soon as warm weather
returns. Heating and venting the
greenhouse will also help: horizontal
airflow fans help to reduce cold
spots in the greenhouse by keeping
the air moving.
Destroying infected
stems
Understanding the life cycle of
downy mildew is important if
growers are to plan strategically to
prevent and contain this disease.
The disease grows within the plant,
unlike powdery mildew which
lives superficially on the outer
surfaces of the plant. This fact is
often ignored by growers, who
tend to focus on the more obvious
leaf symptoms, which explode
when the environment becomes
cool and humid. Infected shoots
should be marked and pruned out
and the prunings removed from
the greenhouse and burnt. It is
not uncommon to see ‘cull piles’
of pruned rose wood right outside
the greenhouse. Downy mildew
spores are easily blown back into
the greenhouse, due to such poor
management practices. A ‘cull
pile’ outside the greenhouse is like
having a downy mildew factory
within a convenient distance – illogical. Why bother pruning it out?
Leaf symptoms and
control
by Louise Labuschagne
(labuschagne@realipm.com)
The more obvious signs of downy
mildew are easily found on the leaves. Irregular shaped spots, reddish
purple to brown in colour appear
on the leaves. These spots eventually turn chlorotic and necrotic and
then the leaves fall off. Fallen leaves
are a source of downy mildew
spores and should also be removed
and destroyed. This is almost
impossible to achieve manually.
Biological control agents such as
the beneficial fungus, Trichoderma,
will grow on organic matter such as
rose crop debris. Trichoderma will
colonise dead leaves and compete
with other fungi such as botrytis
and downy mildew on dead leaves.
None of the fungicide spray programs are aimed at controlling the
reservoir of downy mildew spores
on crop debris – leading to a very
local source of re-infection (more
convenient than the cull piles
outside the door).
Get the spraying right
Spores are produced in their millions from the underside of leaves,
which are the main ‘spore factory’
and the means of spread of this
disease. Spores can be spread both
by water and air. Hence, excessive
spraying with high volumes of
water can also assist in the spread
of the disease. And anyway, using
higher spray water volumes to
get ‘better cover’ is not always the
panacea that it is perceived to be.
Too much water in relation to the
canopy size will result in run-off,
diminishing the amount of active
ingredient in contact with the
plant.
Using more active ingredient per
hectare is also not necessary – as
all fungicide labels have an upper
limit per hectare based on a rate of
1000 L of the fungicide product.
It is not necessary to apply three
times the recommended rate on the
label if you think you need to apply
3000 L of water per hectare instead
of 1000 L. This would not only
be three times the cost – but three
times the amount of fungicide
needed. If, in conjunction with
this policy, the grower doesn’t have
a good resistance management
program – then the disease will also
be resistant to very high rates of the
fungicide. Risky.
Furthermore, long periods of leaf
wetness need to be avoided, so the
time of day that the spray is applied
is critical to reduce the risk of
prolonged leaf wetness exaggerating
the disease. Spray in the morning
hours – not late afternoon. Leaves
can dry more quickly in the morning sunshine.
Resistance management
Spraying fungicides every day is
not a solution – it is part of the
problem. Resistance management
is as important as good sanitation
for the control of this disease. The
definition of an intensive spray
program is one which does not take
into account the recommended
spray interval on the fungicide
label. There are no fungicides with
a spray interval of less than three
days for downy mildew fungicides.
The FRAC (Fungicide Resistance
Action Committee) group should
also feature highly in the design of
the fungicide program. A serious
strategic overhaul is needed if these
factors are not considered or understood by the grower.
Biological control agents (Bacillus
subtilis and Trichoderma) can play
a part not only in a sustainable
disease management program, but
also play a pivotal role in the resistance management program. They
can be used in between fungicides
to keep the spray intervals of the
fungicides apart and to intersperse
the FRAC groups, so as not to
repeatedly use the same group. It
is unwise to follow the commonly
used practice on some farms to
spray the same fungicide three to
five times in a row before moving
to another fungicide. This could
encourage resistance – especially if
the subsequent set of five sprays is
also in the same FRAC group, or
the active ingredient is known to
have a high risk of resistance.
The real solution to downy mildew
is an IPM program for this disease
which carefully combines good
agricultural practice (sanitation,
environmental control, plant
spacing etc.) with both biological
and chemical controls within a
confident resistance management
program. |||
21
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for efficient solutions in plant micro-propagation. Services include
the production of certified plants, germ plasm conservation, disease
eradication, and several techniques to support breeding, such as embryo
rescue, mutant production and doubling of chromosome number.
Headquarters in the Netherlands;
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in Ghana and Macedonia.
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1
07-07-2009 DutchPlantin_85x124.indd
10:40:51
05-03-2009 14:58:59
19-08-2009 09:34:48
Consultancy
Plant knowledge,
the focal point
of horticulture,
evolves through the
fundamental research
carried out by research
organizations and the
commercial experience
of growers, together
with breeders. In
between there is a key
role played by expert
advisors, who can
critically judge the
progress of a business
and translate the
newest techniques into
practical cultivation
systems. DLV Plant
is renowned in the
Netherlands as an
independent advisory
and research partner
for the green sectors.
Since a managementbuy-out in 2005, DLV
Plant services have
realized an expansion
into countries outside
the Netherlands.
by Anabel Evans
Sounding-board bids
new knowledge
“A
passion for plants, knowing
exactly how a species grows
under specific conditions,
is the core business of growers and
DLV Plant,” says Dr Jacco van der
Wekken, director DLV Plant. “Our
focus is to ensure that the primary
companies in crop cultivation have
access to the latest developments.”
The knowledge base existing within
DLV Plant is created from an extensive network of 170 advisors; contact
with Dutch and foreign research
institutes; visits to conferences and
symposia. The advice provided on
individual crops, whether they fall
into the category of cut flowers, potted plants, tree cultivation or flower
bulbs, is organized via specialist
teams. DLV Plant also has a R&D
team, who undertake investigations
into either innovative developments
or production bottlenecks seen in the
field; the latter can vary from new diseases to undesired growth reactions
of (new) varieties. The close contact
that DLV Plant researchers have
with research institutes, for example
WageningenUR, and the commercial
nurseries ensures project results can
find a quick application in the field.
Advisors abroad
Services range from production
advice to managing the complete
process of getting a horticultural
enterprise up and running (i.e.
turnkey projects), where again there
is a specialist DLV Plant team. “The
business culture to have an advisor
is common in the Netherlands,”
says Van der Wekken, “but we also
see a high potential for the transfer
of Dutch horticultural knowledge
to foreign countries.” DLV Plant
already has subsidiary companies
in Belgium, Costa Rica, Ethiopia,
Serbia, Russian Federation, United
Kingdom and the Middle East region. In these countries the advisors
work closely with the local industry
to align the DLV Plant knowledge
with the country’s own economic
and cultural conditions. “The subsidiary companies have arisen from
the interest of one or more advisors,
who are knowledgeable about Dutch
techniques, and for one reason or
another have become very familiar
with the foreign regional sector during their career, and have chosen to
establish their home and an advisory
role for the professional grower
entrepreneurs under the umbrella of
DLV Plant,” says Van der Wekken.
Value perspective
Van der Wekken makes an interesting comment when questioned
about their consultancy costs (on
average, these are €3,000-5,000
per year if we consider the services
generally provided to professional
growers in the Netherlands): “The
added value created for our clients by
continuously marketing innovative
and state-of-the-art services and
products can be measured by the fact
that among the clientele, the number
that leave is minimal. Client changes
are more often associated with the
replacement of advisors after a period
of time to avoid familiarity turning
into complacency. Our experience
is that professional growers are
actually quick to recognize the value
of a regular, critical analysis of their
management by a reputable, independent source. They also become
accustomed to sharing knowledge
and expert opinions about choices of
seed/ varieties; climate control, CO2,
water and nutrient management;
crop protection; post-harvest and
chain management (including the
certification and maintenance of
international quality standards).”
Van der Wekken ends, “While DLV
started as a Government-run research
organization, its privatization in
1990 culminated in a managementbuy-out in 2005. This has allowed us
to streamline our research priorities
and move away from government
related rules to focus on commercial
plant production. Here, effective
research can reduce a cost price or
improve quality, resulting in better
returns and a head start on the competition. Our advisory role has similarly become strongly productionoriented. The Management Board
strategy is to disseminate top-level
plant knowledge to the international
horticultural industry.” |||
23
FloraCulture
internationalizes
your future...
For more than 20 years :
coolness in your greenhouses,
choose your shading
paint
> More shading,
and more
coolness
> More
becomes:
light,
and more coolness
Come and see us at stand 03.0316
For more info: www.sudlac.com +33 (0)4 76 23 20 54
sudlac_85x124.indd 1
insert_85x124_ENE.indd 1
TrefSubstrates_178x124.indd 1
www.floracultureinternational.com
FCI_Stopper_85x124.indd
1
19-08-2009
09:34:02
7/28/2009 10:22:57 AM
05-05-2009 09:05:52
19-08-2009 09:35:05
Packaging and Distribution
A cutting edge
picking system has
been installed at
Van der Deijl Roses
in Noordwijk, the
Netherlands, with
the aim of achieving
significant, supply
chain cost savings.
Roses ‘passing on a moving band’
I
t took an awful lot of time to obtain the building permit and the
company suffered some serious
teething problems with its state-ofthe-art distribution system. However,
now that the 6,000 m2 three storey
distribution centre and the 700 m2
offices have been completed and all
operations are running smoothly,
Peter van der Deijl is a happy man.
Happy in the sense that the new
order picking system allows the rose
marketer to store their Ecuador- and
Ethiopia-grown roses under optimum
temperatures and humidity conditions, guaranteeing a fresh product
24 hours per day to their webshop
customers worldwide.
tered in Zwijndrecht, Belgium, has
equipped the 12 m tall cool room with
three, so-called E-car mini load cranes,
which can automatically stack the
containers following the FIFO (first in
No small job
first out) model, regrouping different
This is no small job. Van der Deijl
sizes and varieties. “What these maRoses handles over 900,000 roses
chines are essentially doing leads to a
per week. These come in 60 varieties
much more efficient product handling.
and five sizes, totalling 300 different
Previously containers were manually
products. A team of 15 employees
carefully unpack the roses upon their moved from one spot to another, madaily arrival in the climate controlled king our company very dependent on
labour. The new system also reduces
warehouse in Noordwijk and introduce them into a processing machine, the number of errors in the order picwhich cuts off 2.5 cm of the stem and king process. Each batch is managed
wraps the bunches in sleeves. The flo- via a barcode, avoiding that varieties
get mixed up. It makes this aspect of
wers are put in containers filled with
supply chain management more or less
ice cool water containing the right
mix of flower food. The containers are paperless,” says Peter van der Deijl. A
subsequently placed onto a conveyor 25% reduction in the labour force has
belt and transported to a three storey been realized. “Now we can put into
stock or select out 750 containers per
cool room where the temperature is
hour. No human being could handle
constantly kept at 1°C.
the same amount of containers.”
Mini load cranes
Egemin, a leading provider of advanced automation solutions, headquar-
Assortment
Sales and distribution are concentrated in Noordwijk (Van der Deijl Roses Noordwijk) while the production
takes place on the 40 ha Van der Deijl
Roses Cayambe nursery in Ecuador
and the 12 ha Lafto rose nursery in
Alemgena, Ethiopia. “The extremely big-budded and very colourful
Ecuadorian roses are targeting the
niche market of exclusive retail florists
whereas Ethiopian grown roses are
up to 40% cheaper and produced for
supermarkets. In Ecuador we produce
up to 60 varieties, in Ethiopia only
six,” explains Peter about the differences in Van der Deijl’s assortment.
Paterfamilias
In the family owned company
everyone has their own responsibility with founder and paterfamilias,
Gerard van der Deijl, involved in
the Ethiopian nursery. Peter’s sisters
Geraldine and Diddy are responsible for sales and administration, respectively. Born in the Netherlands,
the Van der Deijl family realizes
up to 75% of their sales through
the Van der Deijl Roses division in
Noordwijk, which sells 75% of the
products to the traditional, auctionbased flower exporting companies.
“35% is sold on the auction clock.
Due to fluctuating foreign currencies and rising air freight costs
we are happy that we can cover the
costs, but we don’t earn any money
with our clock sales,” states Peter
van der Deijl.
Stable business
Reflecting on the Ecuadorian rose
business, Peter van der Deijl praises
the commitment and dedication of
his 400 fellow growers who continue to produce premium quality
roses even under difficult circumstances. “Recently President Correa
has won a referendum on a new
constitution that will implement
leftist reforms. The minimum wage
has gone up by 50% to 560 dollars
per month. Besides, also the flower
industry is feeling the effects of the
economic downturn; yields and
costs are calculated more than ever.
Around 30 companies are for sale
but there is no dramatic decrease in
production.” |||
25
Dolomiti
Latina
Grand Europe
Red Pa
Red
Pari
riss
Paris
g
ght
Twilight
Olij rozen
Tel: +31 297 382 929 Fax: +31 297 341 340
E-mail:
Netherlands:
info@olijrozen.com
Kenya:
info@olijkenya.com
Ethiopia:
info@olijethiopia.com
Ecuador/Colombia: info@olijecuador.com
www.olijrozen.nl
Colombia
Proflora, the leading
flower trade show
in the Americas, will
be held September
30 to October 2,
2009 at the Corferias
Exhibition Centre in
Bogotá, Colombia.
Two months before
the opening Augusto
Solano, president
of the Colombian
industry body
Asocolflores is very
satisfied with the
Proflora exhibition
space booking, with
95% of the booths
already sold. Curious
about what is behind
the promised “new
doors” of this year’s
Proflora, FloraCulture
has invited Solano
and his colleagues,
Cristina Uricoechea
and Jairo Cadavid, to
give their opinions on
Proflora’s business
opportunities,
the effects of the
economic downturn
and Colombia’s
impressive Land of
Flowers campaign.
Proflora 2009 in Bogotá
opens new doors
C
olombia has proven to be
a reliable source of flowers
and is diversifying its markets. Because of this, Solano believes
the 15,000 m2 Proflora show is
attracting a good number of people.
“We know that most markets have
been affected by the crisis, but Mother’s Day 2009 was good in general
and we have been working very hard
on promotion of Colombian flowers
in different markets. Our impression
is that this has compensated for the
effects of the crisis. We have already
sold 95% of Proflora’s available
space which is very satisfying. Even
more satisfying is the fact that this
Proflora is 40% bigger in terms of
square metres compared to our last
2007 edition in Cartagena. In terms
of buyers and visitors the registration is 10% up compared to two
years ago.”
Proflora 2009 offers new
features
Cristina Uricoechea, director Proflora mentions the positive effect of
the government’s decision to focus
more on security and a stronger
economy, in order to attract more
tourists and foreign investors.
Turismo Proexport Colombia has
launched its campaign “El solo
riesgo es que te quieras quedar (The
only risk is that you might end
up staying), stressing that today
in Colombia you can feel secure
and at ease. “This goes especially
for Proflora where we will provide
a transportation service from the
airport to the hotel and exhibition.
We will be taking care of all our
exhibitors and visitors.”
Uricoechea says this year’s Proflora
is different from previous editions
and other leading international flower shows. “We’ve included some
additional things. One of our new
features is the Matchmaking Forum: one-on-one business meetings
between exhibiting flower growers
and international buyers. Appointments will be made in advance
and will last 30 to 40 minutes.
The forum offers the possibility to
catch up with representatives of 15
different farms and this happens in
separate rooms.”
President Uribe will
attend
The news for the moment is that
president Alvaro Uribe will attend
the upcoming Proflora show.
Solano: “I believe Mr Uribe is a
very special person. In the past he
already attended our show and I
had the opportunity to talk to him.
Mr Uribe is recognized internationally for his achievements during
the last seven years in the field of
violence, drugs trafficking and we
are very proud of his presence.”
Solano is less happy about the fact
that the international trade show
Horti Fair in the Netherlands has
changed its dates and is now celebrated only 11 days after Proflora.
“This is a very bad situation, an issue that we have brought up in the
past more than once. Proflora has
always been held at the beginning
of October. And Horti Fair was at
the beginning of November. Horti
Fair’s change of dates has been, and
still is, a lose-lose situation which is
reflecting itself in the 25% decrease
in Horti Fair’s space. Horti Fair’s
change of dates is not only bad
for Proflora: it affects the trade
shows in Ecuador, Japan and Spain.
And what about the Colombian
growers? You simply cannot expose
them to such a high pressure of
different trade shows in the same
period. We have discussed this
several times with Mr Van der Loo.
But, he insists there is nothing to
do.” |||
The choice of moviing
With Colombia’s flower production concentrated just outside the capital of Bogotá, the
choice for moving Proflora from Cartagena to Bogotá has been motivated by the growers.
Solano: “There are two reasons. The main reason is the size. The venue in Cartagena was
much too small. We even had to put up some plastic greenhouses and that wasn’t the best
space for an exhibition. There is also the cost point of view. For exhibitors Bogotá is a
little less expensive and there is a wider choice of hotels. But this doesn’t mean that we will
never go back to Cartagena. When, we don’t now. The advantage here in Colombia is that
we are not restricted to only one place. Other international fairs stay forever in one city.
We have Cartagena, Bogotá and why not Medellin some day?”
27
Colombia
The main idea behind
starting Proflora
in 1991 was to
promote the image
of Colombia as the
Land of Flowers.
Nearly twenty years
later Augusto Solano,
president of the
Colombian industry
body Asocolflores,
thinks this objective
has been reached. The
country of Colombia
has become the
second largest fresh
cut flower exporter
in the world, in only
40 years. “We have
a very important
market share in North
America; close to
80% of the exports
go to the US. But
we have also been
able to diversify our
exports and Colombia
is recognized as a
supplier of premium
quality flowers all
over the world”.
30
Land of Flowers
I
n times of economic crisis
Augusto Solano believes more in
bloom than gloom and doom.
“During a global crisis people start
saving money, doing more things
at home. So you can promote the
use of flowers at home. Asocolflores is simultaneously supporting
some studies at Harvard proving
that flowers decrease depression,
anxiety and stress; and increase
compassion, enthusiasm and energy.
Flowers bring happiness, give good
feelings to the people. Flowers are an
indulgence to brighten up your life,
affordable luxuries that people can
have. So there is still a market. Nevertheless the situation is not easy at
all. In times of crisis there is a need
for imagination, innovation and the
whole industry working together.”
The strength of the Colombian
flower industry is the very wide
portfolio of flowers allowing the
country to build up a very strong
bouquet industry. These bouquets
go mainly to the US. “But, we
would like to see that we could do
this in the rest of our markets,” says
Solano.
When asked about the future
for the Colombian flower farms
covering currently around 7200 ha
in mainly the Savannah and Antioquia regions, Solano says that the
acreage in production will remain
more or less stable, productivity
Land of Flowers campaign in
San Francisco.
will further increase. “The main
problem we have is the appreciation of the peso. Definitely that’s our
main obstacle. For several years the
peso is very high and a hard currency. Other commodities like oil
and sugar face the same problems.
In flowers it hasn’t been easy because we don’t see the exchange rate
improving very much. I forecast a
new consolidation of the industry.”
A shake out of companies? “Yes
some, but not many.”
Campaign takes
centre stage
Colombia has become more
flowering than ever. An overview of
the results of the Land of Flowers
campaign will be given on Asocolflores’stand at Proflora. Solano:
“We only started the campaign two
years ago. People are learning about
it. Our programs on the social and
environmental side like Florverde
are very important and it is integral
to our competitiveness and sustainability. And you know Floverde
was recognized and homologated
by GlobalGAP.” Asocolflores’s Jairo
Cadavid, who has been travelling all over the world to promote
Colombian cut flowers, explains
further: “We have been to Sweden
where we had a meeting with
wholesalers in Stockholm. In May
over two hundred thousand Co-
lombian floriculture workers joined
Russian citizens in celebrating
Victory Day by making a gift of
100,000 Colombian flowers in the
capital city of Moscow. And over
50,000 Colombian flowers took
centre stage in commemorating the
‘Storming of the Bastille’ on July
14 during France’s national holiday.
Besides this, we went to Japan and
South Korea.”
Cadavid can also look back on a
very positive campaign worked out
with Tesco. The nearly 10 million
buyers per month at Tesco were
surprised in December 2008 when
they approached the flower displays
and identified for the first time the
origin of one of the most beautiful
export products from Colombia.
On that occasion Asocolflores had
organized a historic takeover of
the 753 Tesco stores in the UK
introducing the Colombia Land
of Flowers brand. “All this was an
effort to make the English endconsumer more aware of the fact
that Colombia produces flowers.
Our aim is to communicate that
Colombia is a professional provider
of flowers, grown using the latest
environmental and social practices.
Switzerland is always associated
with banking and chocolates, Germany with cars. For Colombia this
must be flowers,” ends Cadavid. |||
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19-08-2009 09:32:31
Colombia, the best kept
secret in Latin America
A wonderful mix of history, ecotourism, adventure, sun and beach will be
the core of the trip “Exuberant Colombia” organized by the Embassy of
Colombia in the Netherlands and open to 20 persons.
I
t is an exclusive tourist package designed to
show the variety and charm of “the best kept
secret in Latin America” in a 10 days trip
which includes the best of Bogotá and its surroundings, the worldwide famous Coffee Region
and the magic of Cartagena, considered Cultural
World Heritage by UNESCO.
The fortunate tourists who will be part of this
vacation program will have the opportunity to
stay in five star hotels in those regions and delight
themselves with the variety of Colombian gastronomy.
In Bogotá we have organized a tour through the
historic centre of the city and visits to the Botero
Museum and the Gold Museum. An amazing tour
to the Salt Cathedral, located in Zipaquirá, 45
minutes out of the city, is included, among other
activities.
In the coffee region travellers will be staying in an
exclusive hotel located amidst the aromas of the
best coffee plantations in the world. Going horseback riding trough the Andean forest, in the heart
of Colombia is also part of this exciting experience.
To conclude this wonderful tour to Colombia,
travellers will fly to Cartagena, where aboard of
a carriage they will discover the charm of the old
city and learn stories of pirates and secret treasures.
There will be plenty of time to go out to dance
merengue, salsa, or champeta. Finally to relax they
will enjoy a full day of sun and beach at the Rosario Islands with its pristine waters and white sands.
This trip will take place from November 5 to 14,
2009. If you want to be part of it, please contact
Ms. Juliana Botero at the Embassy of Colombia at
julianabotero@xs4all.nl.
31
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© 2009 Ball Horticultural Company PAS09030-FCI ® denotes a registered trademark of
Ball Horticultural Company in the U.S. It may also be registered in other countries.
International Events
September 2009
3 to 6. Russia
Flowers 2009, All Russia
Exhibition Centre, Moscow.
T (31) 20 662 2482;
F (31) 20 675 2326;
melvin@hpp.nl; www.hpp.nl
8 to 9. United Kingdom
Four Oaks Trade Show,
Macclesfield. T (44) 1477 571392;
F (44) 1477 571314; four-oakshort@btconnect.com;
www.fouroaks-tradeshow.com
10 to 12. Italy
Flormart-Miflor 2009
T (39) 049 840 11
www.flormart.it
11 to 12. Kenya
Naivasha Horticultural Fair.
T/F (254) 50 2020655;
M (254) 726 629 666;
nhfair@kenyaweb.com
17 to 19. Spain
9th edition of the SPV, Plant,
Garden and Complements Fair,
Girona Exhibition Hall.
www.viveristesdegirona.com,
www.firagirona.com
13 to 18. Belgium
ISHS VII International Symposium on Chemical and nonChemical Soil and Substrate
Disinfestation, Leuven.
http://ishs-horticulture.org/
soildisinfest2009/
30 to October 2. United States
CalScape Expo (interior plantscape
industry), The Flamingo, Las Vegas.
Plantscape Industry Alliance, Mary
Golden T (1) 707 462 2276;
F (1) 707 463 6699; pia@piagrows.org; www.piagrows.org
October 2009
30 to October 2. Colombia
Proflora 2009, Bogotá.
proflora@asocolflores.org;
www.proflora.org.co
30 to October 4. United States
International Plant Propagators’
Society (IPPS) 50th Anniversary
Event of the Western Regional
Meeting, San Diego Crowne Plaza
Hotel Circle. www.ippswr.org
2 to 4. India
4th International Landscape &
Gardening Expo 2009, Exhibition Grounds, Necklace Road,
Hyderabad. Organizers: Media
Today Pvt. Ltd., T-30 First
Floor, Khirki Extn., Malviya
Nagar, New Delhi 110017,
India. Mr. M B Naqvi, M (91)
9811152139/9312407851;
F (91) 11 26682045/
26681671; mediatoday@vsnl.
com, iflora@vsnl.net,
mediatodaymails@gmail.com;
www.mediatoday.in
2 to 5. India
Agri Intex, Codissia Trade Fair
Complex, Coimbatore.
www.codissia.com
20 to 22. United Kingdom
Glee 2009, National Exhibition
Centre, Birmingham.
T (44) 20 8277 5813;
F (44) 20 8277 5894;
glee@emap.com;
www.gleebirmingham.com
6 to 7. Denmark
Symposium “Intelligent use
of Energy in Greenhouses”,
University of Southern Denmark,
Odense. http://
energysymposium.agrproject.dk
23 to 24. Canada
CanWest Hort Show, Vancouver,
British Columbia.
T (1) 604 574 7772;
F (1) 604 574 7773;
bnelson@bclna.com;
www.canwesthortshow.com
7 to 8. Canada
Canadian Greenhouse Conference, Toronto, Ontario.
T (1) 905 945 9057; F (1) 905
945 8643; info@canadiangreenhouseconference.com;
www.candiangreenhouseconference.com
23 to 26. United States
Society of American Florists
(SAF) 125th Annual Convention,
Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort
Phoenix, Arizona. www.safnow.
org; Laura Weaver, CMP
lweaver@safnow.org
24 to 27. Germany
15th European Orchid Congress,
Dresden Exhibition Centre, Dresden.
Contact DOG-Zentrale, Flößweg 11,
33758 SchloßHolte-Stuckenbrock,
Germany. T (49) 05207 920607
DOG-Zentrale@orchidee.de
PRO Institute Miami,
Hyatt Place Hotel.
T (1) 209 295 1577;
george.staby@volcano.net
13 to 16. The Netherlands
International Horti Fair, Amsterdam RAI. T (31) 297 344033;
F (31) 297 326850;
info@hortifair.nl; www.hortifair.nl
14 to 16. The Netherlands
FloraHolland Trade Fair, Aalsmeer
(previously called Aalsmeer
Market). www.floraholland.com
14 to 16. Spain
Iberflora, Valencia. T (34) 963
861 100; F (34) 963 636 111;
feriavalencia@feriavalencia.com;
www.feriavalencia.com
22 to 25. Romania
Golden Chrysanthemum Flower
Exhibition, Timisoara.
Star Expo Timisoara,
T/F (40) 256 431 015/487 406;
starexpo@clicknet.ro
November 2009
11 to 13. Japan
Ifex/Gardex /Extepo, Makuhari
Messe, Tokyo. Japan Floral Marketing Association (JFMA) and
Reed Exhibitions Japan Ltd.
T (81) 3 3349 8511;
F (81) 3 3345 7929; www.ifex.jp
15 to 19. Japan
ISHS VI International Symposium on Light in Horticulture,
Tsukuba. www.lightsym2009.jp
15 to 19. New Zealand
Postharvest Pacifica 2009, Napier.
www.postharvestpacifica.org.nz
December 2009
1 to 3. China
IPM China, Foshan City,
Guangdong Province.
info@messe-essen.de;
www.ipm-china.com
14 to 18. India
Kisan ’09 Agri Show, Pune. Kisan
Forum Pvt. Ltd., 1170/17b
Shivajinagar, Pune 411005, India.
T (91) 20 30252005/ 30252003;
team@kisan.com; www.kisan.in
January 2010
13 to 14. Israel
20th AgroMashov Exhibition,
Tel Aviv Exhibition Grounds.
www. mashov.net; Ms Carmel
Beham T (972) 54 2271149;
info2@ofekpr.co.il
Tropical Plant Industry Exhibition
(TPIE), Ft. Lauderdale, Florida,
T (1) 407 295 7994
F (1) 407 295 1619
info@tpie.org; www.tpie.org
12 to 15. Taiwan
ISHS I International Orchid
Symposium, Taichung.
http://hrt.msu.edu/IOS/
Mid-America Horticultural Trade
Show, McCormick Place West,
Chicago. T (1) 847 526 2010;
mail@midam.org;
www.midam.org
26 to 29. Germany
IPM Essen, Essen,
T (49) 201 7244 0;
F (49) 201 7244 248;
www.ipm-messe.de
February 2010
3 to 6. Turkey
Growtech Eurasia, Antalya.
International Exhibition & Congress Organizer Ekinciler Cd.
Ertürk Sk. No:5 Kat: 3 Mehmet
Özçelik İş Merkezi, 34810
Kavacık / Istanbul.
T (90) 216 425 63 00;
F (90) 216 425 63 02;
info@growtecheurasia.com;
www.growtecheurasia.com
5 to 7. India
5th International Flora Expo, Palace
Grounds, Bangalore. Indian Flowers
& Ornamental Plants Welfare Association (iFlora) and Media Today
Pvt. Ltd. Mr. S Jafar N,
T (91) 9312407851;
F (91) 11 26682045, 26681671,
26680153, 26660683; iflora@
vsnl.net , ifloramtpl@gmail.com;
www.floraexpo.com
2 to 4. Ukraine
13th Ukraine International
Agriculture and Horticulture Exhibition, Kiev. T (31) 55 534 11
40; F (31) 55 534 01 68; info@
bto-exhibitions.nl;
www.bto-exhibitions.nl
16 to 18. France
Salon du Végétal, Angers.
T (33) 2 41 79 14 17;
F (33) 2 41 45 29 05; salon@bhrvegetal.com;
www.salonduvegetal.com
March 2010
8 to 10. United Arab Emirates
IPM Dubai, Airport Expo Dubai.
T (49) 201 7244 226;
F (49) 201 7244 513;
www.ipm-dubai.net
World Floral Expo, Miami,
Florida.
T (31) 20 662 2482;
F (31) 20 675 2326;
melvin@hpp.nl;
www.hpp.nl
33
Plant growers go to the
Horti Fair for the latest varieties
and sales concepts.
Rose growers go to
the Horti Fair to compare roses
from all over the world.
90% of the close to 48,000
trade visitors recommend the
Horti Fair to their colleagues.
80% of participants are extremely
satisfied with the quality of trade
visitors at the Horti Fair.
YOUR WORLDWIDE HORTICULTURAL SHOWCASE
WWW.HORTIFAIR.NL
13 - 16 October Amsterdam, the Netherlands
HORTIF0204-FLORACULTURE INT.indd 1
25-6-09 15:38
Horti Fair_178x124.indd 1
26-06-2009 12:30:22
OUR SERVICES
Flowerport Logistics B.V. look after clearances and transport of complete charters,
but also “small” individual sendings will be handled with extreme care.
Flowerport Logistics B.V.
Flora Holland Auction.
P.O. Box 364,
1430 AJ Aalsmeer Holland
T +31 297 349 360
F +31 297 349 560
E planning@flowerportlogistics.nl
Flowerport Cargo PLC
Cargo Terminal
Bole Airport
P.O. Box: 068 Addis Ababa Ethiopia.
T +251 11 662 0682 / 84
F +251 11 662 0683
E tradepath@ethionet.et
World News
Tech and IT among familiar
international faces
In the Amsterdam RAI, Horti Fair 2009
opens its doors from the 13 to 16 October
under the theme “For a sustainable future”.
Organizers said that starting this year the
segments technology and supplies will be
combined in Horti Tech, and production and
trade in Horti Grow&Trade.
It’s the second major overhaul for Horti Fair
since being formed in 2000. “Other familiar
highlights will remain, such as the House of
Quality with the biggest product judging in
the world, the Innovation Award and the clear
and logical routing. This gives our guests a
complete picture of all the developments in
international horticulture in a single visit,” said
Wim van der Loo, managing director of the
Horti Fair.
The internet participant listing in mid-August
showed over 610 exhibitors will be represented this year, compared to around 850 in the
same period of 2008. In the Horti Tech sector
(>425 stands) the House of Technology will
again be inspiring visitors with discussions on
energy and new applications, plus a special
matchmaking program. In Horti Grow&Trade
(>185 stands) the second edition of the Horti
Fair House of Software has been expanded
to include 11 participating companies and has
“Be Connect IT” as its theme. Visitors will find
this special interest pavilion offers a complete and future-focused picture of the latest
developments in software for greenhouse
horticulture.
Besides the Horti Fair Houses visitors will also
find many of the familiar international faces
concentrated on breeding; supplies; greenhouse construction and management; sales
organization/logistics; and, national entries
from (among others) Ecuador, Israel, Kenya,
Turkey, Taiwan and the UK. |||
Industry Gets Down to Business at OFA Short Course
If you skip the OFA Short Course - North America’s preeminent horticultural trade show and educational series
- because you think it is the “same old, same old,” then it is
time to rethink that concept.
In fact, “Rethink” was the unofficial rallying cry heard at this year’s
Short Course - rethink how to cut costs, how to produce and manage more efficiently, how to sell better, and how to provide items
in demand by clients and the end consumers.
The economy - dismal for many sectors of American and world
markets - didn’t have quite the negative impact on the horticulture
industry as most of us had prepared for. In fact, many conversations at this year’s Short Course revolved around just how recession proof the horticultural markets can be in a down economy.
One gentleman even commented that not only is our industry
recession proof, we thrive in it.
The demand for horticultural products is out there - along the
entire length of the supply chain. In casual conversations with
suppliers of everything from plug trays to lighting to benching
systems, reports of this year’s business have been good, even
strong. For instance, according to Marthe Galbraith of Pride Garden Products, the company has had a strong year and continues
to book orders for its container gardening baskets for next spring
as well as for this fall. Whether this sentiment about a successful
season is coming from actual business or from a thankfulness that
we’re not in the car industry, that is hard to say. Nonetheless, the
general attitude on the trade show floor this year was definitely
positive. And a big portion of a successful business is attitude.
A positive attitude on the future is what brought attendees to this
year’s Short Course to learn, to buy and to network. Attendance
numbers for 2009 mirrored those for 2008, according to official
OFA counts. “We’re very pleased that despite the challenging
economic times and the difficult choices industry members are
having to make that approximately 9,000 people attended the OFA
Short Course to receive the very best in education, networking
and exhibiting opportunities,” says Laura Kunkle, OFA’s director
of membership and communications. In speaking with vendors
and exhibitors who have attended other trade shows throughout
the year, the consensus seems to be one effect the economy is
having on the horticulture industry is that companies are bringing
slightly fewer employees to the events. This year’s attendees
are not kicking tires - they are having serious discussions with
vendors, making deals and placing orders. A few of the vendors I
spoke to even said the economy has jolted some in the industry
into realizing the ill effects that a laissez-faire attitude can have on
the bottom line and bettering their business practices. Perhaps a
bad economy is good for business, after all. — Ellen Wells |||
35
Takii_178x124.indd 1
19-08-2009 09:34:34
M
A
R
K
E
T
NEWS
SERVICE
NEW
(MNS)
Up-to-date
price and
market
information
MNS ON THE WEB!
WEEKLY: Fresh cut flowers
93 varities in selected European markets
30 varieties in selected
North American markets
65 varieties in selected Asian markets
FORTNIGHTLY:
Tropical ande Oriental Plants
45 varities in selected European markets
PRICE TRENDS:
Available on request for the
past 3-5 years on specific products
Web subscribers can access
ITC/MAS product maps (72)
For subscription and further information contact:
MARKET NEWS SERVICE
ITC, Palais des Nations,
1211 Geneva 10 Switserland
Tel: +41-22-730 0531 Fax +41-22-730 0906
E-mail: MNS-subs@intracen.org
www.intracen.org/mns
World News
Enticing GoSaba
New to the wide range of products from
Royal Van Zanten is the cut chrysanthemum
Saba. Unique for the shape and contrasting colours of its flowers, Saba is being
positioned in the market with a “go” buy
impulse, targeting the retail end of the supply chain.
Isabel Groot, the GoSaba campaign manager at
Royal Van Zanten, is not naïve to the difficulties of communicating with florists. She says,
“Often product information goes no further
than the exporters.”
The new campaign, GoSaba, uses a “Win a
Trip” enticer on posters and coded plant labels
to attract florists. “We have already received
many registrations from this action,” says
Groot. “These contacts will be used to develop
our communications with retail customers, so
that in the future the push-pull strategy can be
more effectively applied when we have new
introductions.”
In total, 20,000 cards with unique win codes
are being distributed via the Saba chrysanthemum. Florists can subsequently register
to Win a Trip on www.gosaba.nl: with Saba’s
Caribbean allure, the winner will be enjoying an
all-inclusive trip for two to the Caribbean! |||
Look, buy and
be inspired
International
Grower of the Year
The 11th edition of the Aalsmeer Market in 2009 is
being organized from 14 to 16 October under a new
name, FloraHolland Trade Fair Aalsmeer.
More than 500 growers of potted plants and cut flowers, on a show floor area of 15,000 m2, will be present
to surprise exporters, wholesalers and their retail
customers with both products and added-value retail
concepts inspired by the latest trends, all of which are
for sale. A novelties Expo and a concept store designed
on the Trends and Retail Square will be joined by the
very latest product introductions, including potential
FloraHolland Award winners for 2010. The Plants Market
will be organised for the first time in the Expo-area,
along with the Flowers Market showing the international
flowers assortment.
Shuttle services between the FloraHolland Trade Fair
Aalsmeer and Horti Fair will be available for visitors attending both events. |||
During the 2009 Annual Congress of the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH), six growers from
six countries will be participating in the first “International
Grower of the Year” contest.
The AIPH, together with FloraCulture International, are organizing
this event in cooperation with national organizations in Belgium
(AVBS), Colombia (Asocolflores/Ceniflores), England (NFU), Germany (Taspo/ZVG), The Netherlands (Horticultural Business Prize)
and Spain (FEPEX).
Each of the candidates named below, who are each the winners
of their respective national contests, will be judged by an international jury on four main criteria; (1) economic performance, (2)
sustainable business strategy (including social responsibility), (3)
innovation and (4) overall company image.
• From Belgium: Marc van Hulle from Sylva Boomkwekerijen,
Waarschoot. A nursery stock tree grower.
• From Columbia: Flower producer and exporter, Flores de Tenjo
Ltda in Antioquia.
• From England: Geoff Caesar from the Bransford Webbs Plant
Company in Bransford. A wholesale nursery of garden plants
(nursery stock).
• From Germany: Markus Wittmann from the company Gartenbau Wittmann in Schechen. A pot plant grower with 130
different pot plants under glass and field grown.
• From Holland: Pieter van den Berk from Van den Berk Boomkwekerijen in Sint Oedenrode. A nursery stock tree grower.
• From Spain: Joan Roig Mas from Group Roig in Barcelona. An
ornamental plant grower (specialised in geranium).
The Award will be presented to the winner during the Gala
Evening of the AIPH Congress on Tuesday 15th September in
Zaragoza, Spain. |||
37
World News
PLANT INVIGORATOR
www.sbpi.co.uk
Seminar to celebrate 75 years
To celebrate its 75th anniversary, Schoneveld Twello is organizing a “Profitable
Inspiration Seminar” on Monday 12th
October 2009 at its headquarters in Twello,
the Netherlands. The timing of the seminar
and the theme have been carefully chosen.
President/director, Peter van de Pol, explains,
“Over the last 75 years Schoneveld has repeatedly proven that it is capable of adapting to
changing market conditions. Especially now,
in these economically challenging times, we
have decided that celebrating this milestone
by sharing our knowledge and that of invited
expert speakers with industry guests can
be of huge added value to every link in the
chain - a change from the lavish party but
just as enjoyable!” Timed on the eve of the
Horti Fair, international guests travelling to the
Netherlands can rely on Schoneveld Twello
to challenge their critical thinking: Van de Pol
says, “Speakers from professions outside of
horticulture can stimulate us, as an industry,
to start asking new questions.” The informal
day with peers and partners in the supply
chain is also an ideal opportunity to develop
contacts and agreements, especially since
the increasingly international character of the
business in young plants and end products
still relies largely on personal relationships.
Van de Pol adds, “The importance of trust
and cooperation in the supply chain has been
accentuated by the crisis period.”
Guests will also have the possibility to make
a tour of the Veranda Selections™ and Indoor
Flower Trials, which are open throughout the
month of October. |||
(Seminar, contact: Suzanne Spelbrink +31 571
287 848; submit@schoneveld.nl. Trials, contact:
Carin Parie or Tamara Janssen +31 571 287
844 or +31 571 287858; sales@schoneveld.nl)
Shipping services attract Russian importers
The new shipping agent Flowerport Logistics, established at the auction of FloraHolland Aalsmeer, continues to achieve growth
through the establishment of streamlined
services tied in with their customs authorities license.
One activity is the active partitioning of flowers
sourced from outside the EU before being
forwarded to another non-EU country. The
flowers are unpacked out of the export boxes
and set in water in sleeves. This processing
occurs in the customs-approved warehouse
of Flowerport where all required machines are
available: worldwide, this is a unique situation,
which is managed in close cooperation with the
customs authorities.
As a result, most flower exporters can let their
license for active up-grading expire; no customs
administration is required and they receive their
customs deposit back. Flowerport is responsible for the complete process, including the
guarantees of dutiable payments.
For flowers in transit to non-EU countries,
38
particularly Russia, the customs bonded
warehouse activities have been coupled with
the availability of newly placed, vacuum cooling
machines from Autec Ltd. This equipment is
of great interest to importers. In fact, several
prominent Russian flower importers have
taken the decision to switch to the services of
Flowerport. The Russian importers can control
entirely, the planning and shipment of their own
incoming consignments. It means that together
with Dutch flowers, which are bought at the
auctions, shipments by truck are organized with
optimum efficiency. Loading occurs at one location (Flowerport has a shuttle service from all
auction locations to Aalsmeer); a 2000m2 cold
store is available for customer use (air humidity
is controlled by the Bioclimatic system); and,
clients have access to a unique IT system with
a worldwide login capability, implemented by
Flowerport. In short Flowerport is ready for the
future, implementing innovative strategies together with its customers. |||
Floranova_178x124.indd 1
29-06-2009 09:29:08
Tycoon.
the whitest chrysanthemum, which colours the best!
Tycoon is a white spray chrysanthemum, that which has been
developed by Deliflor, especially for the Latin American market.
Tycoon is adapted to growing under equatorial conditions and
can easily be given a coloured tint.
Visit our stand at Proflora and see Tycoon in a variety of painted
tints! Next to this, you’ll find the range of Deliflor varieties
grown in Latin America and available to the American market.
Amongst them for example: Anastasia Dark Green, Zembla Lime,
Athos and Managua.
Proflora:
stand no. 531 / 531 A / 532
Pavillion 4, Corferias
For more information:
Deliflor Latin America
T +57 (4) 543 02 45 - (4) 543 66 75
E-mail: cc@deliflor.net
A new outlook on chrysanthemums
www.deliflor.com
Deliflor_178x124.indd 1
info@deliflor.com
19-08-2009 09:27:25
World News
Kenyan Fair
around
Horticulture
Naivasha, Kenya: This year’s Naivasha Horticulture Fair, which grows year-on-year is scheduled for the 11th and 12th September.
Described by the organisers as ‘A Business Fair
around Horticulture’, it covers a wide range of interests in the heart of the Kenyan flower growing
area including: plant breeders, growers, exporters;
input and equipment suppliers; local handicrafts,
tourism, environmental issues and other interests.
The Fair attracts exhibitors and visitors from
throughout Kenya.
Besides ‘being the face’ of the local horticulture
industry, the Fair generates considerable amounts
of funds for local charities, especially those
associated with orphaned and abused children
and women; last year over Ksh 5 million (approx
$70,000) went to local organisations while also
helping the displaced families caught up in the
social unrest following the disputed elections at
the end of December 2007. - David Gray
Further information from nhfair@kenyaweb.com |||
Name change to
Callas New Zealand
Callas New Zealand Ltd, formally known as Pukekaroro Exotics Ltd, have
launched a new website, www.callasnewzealand.com, to coincide with
their company name change. Callas New Zealand Ltd are New Zealand’s
original commercial grower and exporter of hybrid callas (Zantedeschia
Sp.).
The business was established in 1981 by the father of the current managing
director, Andrew Wearmouth. Callas New Zealand is a long term family business with two of Andrews’s family now working for the company.
The company currently exports a wide range of callas varieties to 17 countries. Rounded shaped tubers with a high dry matter are grown on two main
production sites from superior genetic mother bulbs, maintained in a gene
bank run by Plant and Food Research (a New Zealand Government Research
Institute). The tubers are naturally programmed for a July through to March
planting cycle and flower naturally from October through to May when prices
for cut flowers and pot plants are at their peak.
A bulb breeding program is run simultaneously to develop new varieties with
superior genetics such as higher flower productivity, dwarf varieties for pot
plant usage, better disease resistance, and more pure colours. New Varieties
are released on a regular basis as they are commercialized. Callas New
Zealand Ltd holds Plant Variety Rights in New Zealand, the European Union,
USA, Chile and Kenya. Callas New Zealand Ltd also exports bulbs of Gloriosa,
Sandersonia, and Cyrtanthus. Technical backup is offered by an experienced
agronomist, Don Slade. |||
Decline least for flowers
Will Wantz
40
July 30, 2009 The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced cargo demand for June
remained weak at 16.5% below 2008 levels. This is
a moderate improvement, albeit from extremely
weak levels, over May, which was 17.4% below
2008 levels.
There has been some improvement in world trade and,
after adjusting for seasonal fluctuations, freight volumes
rose 6% from the low point recorded in December
2008 (22.6% drop compared to December 2007).
However, the utilization of air freight capacity on international routes remained very weak (47.3%) in June due
to unbalanced trade flows with Asia and some market
share loss to ocean transport.
Reference the perishables market, Sebastiaan Scholte,
head of marketing and special projects at Cargolux
Airlines International, remarks that flower imports into
Europe have been one of the least affected products
in the perishables market. He says, “Obviously, people
are consuming less fruit and vegetables, especially the
more expensive tropical fruits like mango and papaya.
In fact, of all the perishable imports by air into Europe,
fruits show the biggest decline (-30% in Q1) while
flower imports have been much less affected (-4% in
Q1): it seems that people are still buying relatively many
flowers.”
Cargolux, with its head-office in Luxembourg and 85 offices worldwide, has become a well-known specialist for
the transportation of delicate flower shipments, offering
almost 40 years of experience and expertise in the air
transportation of perishables. Their floral shipments into
Europe originate from South America, Africa and Asia.
Reference the floriculture industry concerns about the
rising costs of airfreight, Scholte says, “During the past
10 years the contrary has happened, airfreight yields
have come down, with the exception of the last 2-3
years where the higher fuel prices have driven up the
cost of airfreight. We do not know what will happen to
the cost in the coming year. We do know that in general,
yields have come down a lot in the market in the last 6
months; in general around 20% down. However we do
not know how fuel prices will develop, which have a big
influence on the airfreight cost.” |||
Armad
adA
Noordlierweg 18b
2678 LV De Lier - The Netherlands
T: +31 (0)174-520713 -F: +31 (0)174-510017
info@armadayoungplants.nl - www.armadayoungplants.nl
•
•
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•
Breeding Chrysanthemum and Aster, potplants and perennials
Supplying high quality young plants and cuttings
Offering licences for propagation and production
Marketing your varieties worldwide
Project breeding exclusively for you
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s
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Creati
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Aster Cassino Royal®
Contador®
Hortifair 2009:
Stand 07.0801
Armada_85x124.indd 1
19-08-2009 09:25:28
by Jan Hein Blom
Awareness
Where to put our money?
The history of our horticultural industry lies in family businesses. During the 1980s crisis many of these family businesses faced
bankruptcy because natural gas prices were going to be doubled; in
those days product prices also went down and interest rates went up
above 10%. Action was taken. Discussions were started and luckily,
the Minister of Agriculture answered in the right way. An important
part of our society (being the horticultural industry) was saved and
disastrous situations for the families that run these businesses were
prevented.
Again our industry is at risk. Banks are now forcing growers to sell
their crops at any price to squeeze out more cash to pay interest.
Bankers don’t care that their clients are making serious losses. But
there is something else: the interest on the money and capital markets are at their lowest point ever. Therefore, while money is cheap,
the interest rates of the banks are high. They pay only 1% to the
European Bank and we pay at least 6% to them. I wish I could sell
my products for six times their value.
Dear Reader: We are paying in two ways for the reckless and greedy
behaviour of our bankers. First we pay interest rates that are much
too high. Secondly, we are paying taxes to our government. These
tax-euros are then directly transferred to the banks because they say
they are in need. It is time for a paradigm shift. This financial crisis
is not caused by our family businesses and we are not paid millionbonuses. We have to free ourselves of bank debts. If we don’t, we
will keep paying (big time) long into the future.
Governments should stop injecting money into banks. It infers that
the banks’ behaviour is acceptable while it isn’t. I find it very hard
to understand that the banking industry has become a priority in
our society, while they have proven themselves to be reckless and of
questionable morals. Banks are dangerous. If institutions exist that
can force the Dutch government to pay them €3,000 per citizen, I
say they have too much power.
I urge our Prime Minister to make a different choice. For decades
the horticultural family businesses have contributed to our society
with high export value. Investing in our industry will create jobs
and sustain market positions. It is a valid action to sustain a world
leader with good morals, high flexibility and an ability to deliver
food and beautiful products using innovative and sustainable techniques. Compared to the banks, I should say that we have not only
earned it, but are also a solid investment.
Mr Prime Minister: Where are you going to put our money?
Please visit
us at the
Horti Fair 2009
Stand no.
07.0302
Jan Hein Blom is senior real estate project
developer with Legmeer Vastgoedontwikkeling BV, the Netherlands. For reactions send an
email to: jhb@legmeervastgoed.nl.
41
HilverdaKooij_178x124.indd 1
19-08-2009 09:30:26
Golden State Bulb_178x124.indd 1
03-07-2009 11:05:17
by William Armellini
Online
George Lucas wins American Grower of the Year Award
COLUMBUS: George Lucas, owner of Lucas Greenhouses in Monroeville, New Jersey
has been chosen “Grower of the Year 2009” by Greenhouse Grower Magazine and
BASF Turf & Ornamentals. Lucas received the award at the Evening of Excellence
reception during the Ohio Florists Association (OFA) Short Course in Columbus, Ohio.
House plants take centre stage at FloraHolland’s stand during Glee
NAALDWIJK: FloraHolland flower auction will be present with its own stand during
the Glee exhibition in Birmingham, which is being held from 20 to 22 September
2009. The theme of the stand is: House plants & garden centres = the perfect match!
FloraHolland aims to inform trade professionals about the opportunities and advantages of selling house plants at garden centres.
SAF Phoenix 2009 Convention set for September 23 to 26
ALEXANDRIA: The Society of American Florists (SAF) invites its members to rise up
from the recession by registering for its 125th annual convention in the Sheraton Wild
Horse Pass convention centre in Phoenix, Arizona from September 23 to 26, 2009.
SAF Phoenix 2009 offers new money-making (and money-saving) ideas, and exciting
business connections and opportunities.
IFEX 2009 set for November 11 to 13
TOKYO: Asia’s largest flower industry trade show, the 6th International Flower Expo
Tokyo (IFEX) will return to Makuhari Messe from November 11-13, 2009 on its largest
scale ever.
Gardenia Poland 2010 set for February 26 to 28
POZNAN: Gardenia, Poland’s only trade fair that covers all aspects of gardening is
set to take place from February 26 to 28, 2010 in the Spotkaj exhibition centre in
Poznan. Gardenia, despite being among the youngest of Poznan fairs, enjoys great
interest from professionals, the media and industry bodies like the Polish Association
of Nurseries, the Polish Association of Garden Centres and the Polish Association of
Garden Creators.
USA’s floral main port hosts sixth World Floral Expo
MIAMI: The sixth World Floral Expo will be held from March 9 to 11, 2010 at the
Double Tree Miami Mart/Airport Hotel & Exhibition Center in Miami. Last year the
show was attended by 500 qualified buyers, mainly from the US. Visitors will be
presented with fresh flowers and floral products from more than 15 countries covering
four continents. Exhibitors particularly appreciate the strict regulations, which only
allow exhibiting suppliers and qualified buyers (wholesalers and high volume retailers)
into the show.
Geothermal heat saves energy and reduces CO2‚ emissions
LEIDEN: The Dutch glasshouse cultivation sector, of which the floricultural sector is
an important element, is extremely innovative in the field of sustainable sources of
energy. Geothermal heat, cogeneration, energy producing glasshouses and many more
less ambitious energy saving projects all contribute to the overall Dutch target, i.e.
of achieving energy savings of 2% per year, a reduction of CO2 emissions of 30% in
2020 and a 20% proportion of sustainable energy by 2020. Recently the Dutch government decided to provide an extra incentive in the form of an additional 58 million euro
for the Energy Innovation Agenda, on top of the 264 million euro already assigned to
this item earlier in the year. The extra funding will be used for the projects Climate
Neutral Cities, Green Gas from fermentation and gasification technology and for wind
energy programs on land and at sea.
Miami
I was born this way
Every month, I anxiously wait for the latest edition of Floraculture
International to read what I wrote months ago. Not because I have
forgotten what I wrote, but more importantly to confirm that my words
are still relevant and make sense. After recently reading through many
past issues, I am starting to see a pattern developing. I write about the
floral industry, but in a very personal and obscure manner. This month’s
submission follows these same blurry lines, which define my Miami
column, but maybe are even further out there.
Recently someone accused me of being elitist in a public forum. It
reminded me of the time someone called me “infamous”. At first I was
flattered until I looked it up and decided that being “infamous” was not
necessarily a compliment. At least it contained the root word “famous”
and that was enough for me to take comfort.
When I tried to determine what classified me as an “elitist” I was told
that it was not my fault and that by being born into a successful family
business qualified me!
My being raised in what would become an upper-middle-class dynasty
was not my fault. Apparently it was understandable that I should think
less of those who are less privileged. It was logical to think that I was
somehow better because my family worked hard and had material
things to show for it. Note: these material things were mostly trucks,
warehouses and tires, not sport-fishing yachts.
This label did not feel comfortable and has bugged me ever since. I have
never considered myself anything other than a hard working guy, who
has earned or lost whatever I have. My family business did enjoy a prominent position in its trucking sector and the company benefited from
the growth of the 80s and 90s. That led to making decisions that would
help our customers and us in the process, but as with most decisions,
not all parties were pleased.
So, it appears that when you can make business decisions, which affect
some people negatively, you can be called an elitist. I believe that I am
a humble man who goes a long way not to toot his own horn. (I do
like tooting those horns in the big trucks, I admit). I wonder if others
reading this have found themselves in this position?
Does being born, working hard, getting a degree, and conducting
yourself professionally and courteously toss you over the elitist fence,
like an ordinary horse jumping over the fence corralling the racing
thoroughbreds? Clearly, there are those that relish in the title and do all
that they can to fill the elitist role. However, I am here to declare that
I am not better or worse than anyone else. But, I was raised well, with
values and compassion for all, and if that makes me an elitist then we
need to redefine the word.
Remember to be yourself and wear your sunscreen Miami is hot!
William Armellini has been in the floral industry
since birth and works for Greenleaf Sourcing in
Miami. william@floracultureinternational.com
www.greenleafwholesale.com.
43
Elbee has all the horticultural trade
magazines in the world in it’s portfolio
for over 80 years now! Elbee can serve
you during every stage in the advertising
process: from planning and budgeting,
to design and materials, to the insertion
of the advertisements.
Check our website www.elbee.nl for
further information.
YOUNG PLANTS
Breeding and Production of house
and bedding plants, such as:
A fl owe r y a sso r tme n t o f ho r tic u l tu r a l tr a de j o u r nals
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A wide selection of cutting raised
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Handelskwekerij M. van Veen BV
Aalsmeerderweg 725, Rijsenhout, Holland
P.O.Box 73, 1430 AB AALSMEER, Holland
Tel.: 0031 297 326516, Fax: 0031 297 328001
info@mvanveenbv.com, www.mvanveenbv.com
MvanVeen_85x124.indd 1
Zandvoortselaan 139 • NL - 2106 CM Heemstede • Holland
Tel.: +31 23 528 75 26 • Fax: +31 23 528 57 58
info@elbee.nl • www.elbee.nl
19-08-2009
Elbee_85x124.indd
09:31:13
1
19-08-2009 09:27:52
FloraCulture RADIO
The most flowering
radio station
Hal 7
Stand no.
07.0705
Könst Alstroemeria | Nieuwveenjaagpad 93
2441 GA Nieuwveen | T: +31 (0) 172 539925
F: +31 (0) 172 537144 | W: www.alstroemeria.com
by Leaora Policar
Online
Klasmann-Deilmann: a pioneer in organic substrates for two decades
GEESTE: Klasmann-Deilmann can boast more than 20 years of experience in the
development and production of organic substrates. It is on this basis that the company
provides both established growers and market newcomers the ultimate in reliability
and expert guidance. The market for organically grown pot herbs continues to expand,
and with it the demand for greater production capacity. Whereas, years ago, the cultivation of organically grown herbs was restricted mainly to 100% organic growers in
the classical sense, today conventional producers of vegetable and ornamental plants
are also going organic. Thanks to EU regulations on organic production, switching
to organic cultivation is relatively straightforward, without the need for conversion
phases as required by well-known organic growers’ associations such as ‘Bioland’ and
‘Demeter’.
US Sea container volume climbs back above 1 million
WASHINGTON: Import cargo volume at USA’s major retail container ports climbed
back above 1 million for the first time in four months in May but is continuing to see
double-digit declines compared with last year, according to the monthly Port Tracker
report released today by the National Retail Federation and IHS Global Insight.
Decorum Company launches bulb cups
NAALDWIJK: Decorum Company, an alliance of leading Dutch pot plant growers, is
further expanding its line of ornamental products this summer. Besides foliage and flowering plants and garden plants, Decorum is going to start marketing dry flower bulbs
in Europe. This venture will take advantage of the expertise available from Decorum
Company, Kébol BV and L.G. Vreugdenhil & Zn.
Dutch greenhouse constructors launch Hortiq quality mark
‘s-GRAVENZANDE: This summer the first glasshouse builders and installers will be
ready for the Hortiq quality mark. Hortiq horticulture system certification is the AVAG
branch association’s response to the increasingly high demands made on glasshouse
cultivation, including those in the field of the accuracy and predictability of climate
control. Glasshouse builders and installers make an important contribution to the
quality of the Dutch horticultural product. The official award of the first certificates
will take place at the 2009 Horti Fair.
Hilverda Group celebrates centennial
AALSMEER: This year marks a special time for the Hilverda Group as it celebrates its
100th year in the flower business. Flower pioneers since 1909, the Hilverda Group will
be celebrating its 100th anniversary with a impressive flower event on October 17.
Event organizer Duynisveld PR&Events will help to prepare the jubilee. The Hilverda
Group comprises four divisions: Anton Spaargaren, Hilverda De Boer, Florist en HilverdaKooij Plant Technology. A gala event is set to take place on October 17th hosting
1,000 industry professionals and their partners.
New Contact Details for FCI
AMSTERDAM: As of September 1st, 2009, the new contact details for the FloraCulture International office are: FloraCulture International BV, Vondelstraat 162, 1054 GV
Amsterdam, the Netherlands; T (31) 20 618 2 666; F (31) 20 618 1 333.
Jaap N. Kras (jaap@floracultureinternational.com)
M (31) 65 32 41 121
Dennis Seriese (dennis@floracultureinternational.com)
M (31) 62 21 65 220
Angie Duffree (angie@floracultureinternational.com)
Claudia Stokreef (claudia@floracultureinternational.com)
M (31) 63 03 99 450
Ron van der Ploeg (ron@floracultureinternational.com)
M (31) 61 21 03 373
Anabel Evans (anabel@floracultureinternational.com)
M (31) 63 03 98 485
Touch
40 Degrees
It’s the hottest month of the year here with temperatures of 40°C or 104°F in
the day and 24°C or 75°F at night. Thank goodness someone invented the
swimming pool and air conditioners to go with the shade. With such crazy
conditions around me, the only thing left to do is look for simple explanations about how things work. It’s the book of Laws:
• Law of Probability: The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.
• Law of Random Numbers: If you dial a wrong number, you never get a
busy signal and someone always answers.
• Variation Law: If you change traffic lanes, the one you were in will always
move faster than the one you moved into.
• Law of Taking a Shower: When you are covered in soap and shampoo the
telephone rings.
• Law of Lousy Season: When you explain all the things that you did wrong
last season, someone else tries it and has a great season.
• Law of the Body Itch: It will itch more, the harder the reach.
• Law of Going to the Movies: The people whose seats are furthest from the
aisle arrive last; your seat is the first in the row and you arrive on time.
• Law of Commercial Marketing Strategy: As soon as you find a product that
you really like, they will stop making it.
• The Computer is Not Working Law: As soon as the technician arrives
(usually after a week) everything works perfectly, but as soon as he leaves it
stops working again.
• Life Insurance Law: It keeps you poor all your life so that you can die rich.
• Keynote Speaker Law: The confusion of one multiplied by the number
present.
• The Professional Meeting Law: A place where everybody talks, nobody
listens and everybody disagrees later on.
• The Parents Law: A banker provided by nature.
• The Smile Law: A curve that can set a lot of things straight.
• The Vacation and Back to Work Law: Just kidding, there is no such law!
• The Committee Law: Individuals who can do nothing individually and,
although they are not aware of it, make decisions which prove that they can
also do nothing collectively.
And by far my favourite …
• Law of Logical Argument: Anything is possible if you don’t know what you
are talking about.
Have a cool summer!
Leaora Policar, together with
her husband Eyal, runs a flowerfarm
in the Arava Desert in Southern Israel.
Leaora@arava.co.il
45
Dorpsstraat 11-B
1566 AA Assendelft
The Netherlands
Phone : +31(0)75 - 6873853
Fax
: +31(0)75 - 6873417
E-mail : info@bromelia.com
Internet : www.bromelia.com
Mutual nce !
confide
YOUNG PLANTS
P
variety.
Propagation prohibited
= Protected
Please visit
us at the
Hortifair 2009
Stand no.
07.0509
Guzmania Torch
Guzmania Arosa
P
Guzmania Samba P
Guzmania Salsa
P
Guzmania Jive
P
Guzmania Bolero P
Guzmania Rana
Guzmania Jazz
CornBak_178x124.indd 1
P
P
Guzmania Rock
Guzmania Switch P
P
Guzmania Techno P
Syngonanthus Mikado
P
Guzmania Fusion P
19-08-2009 09:26:14
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SURDAISY® Brachyscome
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Weteringweg 3a, NL - 2155 MV Leimuiderbrug
The Netherlands, Tel. +31 172 506700
SUNTORY COLLECTION www.suntorycollection.info
I O
C T
C O L L E
N
World News
Claims rejected, CC Container
Pool System is well protected
Recently the Dutch company K.G. van Vliet
Handelsmij BV filed a lawsuit with several
charges against the Danish company, Container Centralen. Allegedly, CC fees are too
high. In a legal procedure at the court in the
Hague, all charges were either rejected or
dismissed.
The Danish company Container Centralen (CC)
hires out returnable transport items, amongst
others the acknowledged transport unit for pot
plants, the CC Container. K.G. van Vliet has
been a customer of CC for many years, and
has many CC Containers under contract. At the
end of July, Van Vliet filed a lawsuit against CC:
the company claims that CC doesn’t sufficien-
tly protect its system against illegal container
copies of an inferior quality, and that CC has
increased its fees to cover the costs for repair
and maintenance of these containers.
CC chief financial officer, Urban Folcker, is
surprised, as he says, “The last few years, we
have adjusted the price annually, corresponding
to general price index increases. But the pool
fee in 2009 is still more than 3% less than it
was in 1991. I think this is pretty unusual for any
company.” CC regularly updates the identification marks of all CC Containers in the company’s
pool to ensure that any illegal containers that
may have entered the system are detected, and
“freeloaders” are avoided. “We are aware that
there are companies in the market that copy our
identification marks to enter our system illegally.
This is why we will change the identification
marks of all CC Containers again in 2010,”
says managing director Tonny Gravesen. “This
time, the new tag will have built-in RFID (Radio
Frequency Identification), which is impossible to
copy, according to our supplier. This will make it
much easier to detect and reject illegal copies
for all users,” says Gravesen.
Another way to protect the CC Container pool is
to monitor the markets and take action on infringements, which CC does continuously. “Within
the past two months, we have won two court
cases against offenders who infringed our
intellectual property rights by copying our CC
Container identification marks. These cases had
been ongoing for years, but at least it is nice
to know that justice is done in the end”, says
Gravesen.
The recent legal procedure with K. G. van
Vliet, was, however, not initiated by CC. “We
of course regret that one of our long-time
customers disagrees with us on some issues.
However, we are happy that this issue was
settled so quickly, and that all charges were
rejected or dismissed at the procedure; we
are now looking forward to continuing to work
together,” Gravesen ends. |||
Breeding beautiful Callas since 1981
Tel. + 64 9 431 7094 Fax + 64 9 431 7445
www.callasnewzealand.com
Callas_54x60.indd 1
20-08-2009 10:22:13
r 'VMMQSPHSBNGPSSPMMJOHBOENPCJMFCFODIFT
r 8JEUINNNNMFOHUIVOMJNJUFE
r .BEFPGCFTURVBMJUZVMUSBIJHI
JNQBDUQPMZTUZSFOF
r -POHUFSN67DIFNJDBMBOEDSBDLSFTJTUBODF
r 6QUPNJOPOFhDPOUBJOFS
r 'VMMZ3FDZDMBCMF
r ZFBSTPGXPSMEXJEFQSPWFOVTF
STÅL & PLAST a-s
Industrivej 19 . DK-5750 Ringe
Telefon +45 62 62 12 16 . Fax +45 62 62 36 11
September
June 2009 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com
47
Visit
us at
Horti
Fair
Stand
07.091
4
13 -16
October
&
FloraHollan
d
Trade Fa
ir
You too can
make a difference...
Consumers are becoming increasingly critical
about the origin and production methods
of a wide variety of products, including
flowers and plants.
By participating in the Fair Flowers Fair
Plants (FFP) concept you can exploit a
rapidly growing niche in the market place
for ethically produced, environmentally
friendly flowers and plants.
More information?
Fair Flowers Fair Plants
T +31 174 615 707
E info@fairflowersfairplants.com
www.fairflowersfairplants.com
Moerman_114x92.indd 1
16-09-2008 13:49:54
Co-financed with support from
the Horticultural Commodity Board
FairFlowers_54x124.indd 1
19-08-2009 09:28:07
RoyalAdministration_178x83.indd 1
28-10-2008 08:59:44
by William Armellini
Online
Preesman launches Rosa High & Intenzz
NAALDWIJK: The new rose variety High & Intenzz from Dutch
rose breeding company Preesman International has been sold
at the TFA auction since Valentines Day 2009, and is being
greatly appreciated. Rosa High & Intezz features a bright
orange heart surrounded with dark orange edged petals. The
large head has 55 petals on sturdy 50 to 70 cm long stems and
opens beautifully. The 12 to 14 days vase life is remarkably
long and the eye-catching colour is drawing the attention of
wholesalers and retailers.
FloraHolland
Boobs vs 2009
Blood
Category
Cut Flowers
The cities of Taipei and Matsue join forces in 2010
international flower expo
TAIPEI: The mayors of Taipei and Japan’s Matsue City signed
a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in July to formally
include Matsue in the 2010 Taipei International Gardening and
Horticulture Exposition scheduled to open November 6th next
year. “The MOU not only marks the beginning of horticulture
exchanges between Taipei and Matsue, but will also inject
new vitality into the flower industries in both cities,” said
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin at a news conference.
Lex+ bestsellers steal rose show in Germany
RAIN: Lex+ beautiful roses have been greeted with enthusiasm by German consumers attending the Dehner rose show,
held in Rain, Germany, in July. The sweet smell of roses filled
the air of the German garden centre chain Dehner during
its spectacular rose show displaying over 17,000 roses and
28 varieties from the Dutch rose breeding company Lex+.
Dehner, Germany’s largest garden centre chain with 106
garden centres and 85 stores across the country, attracted
25,000 visitors to its location in Rain thanks to the lavish rose
arrangements worked out by the team of 2Dezign from the
Netherlands. Dehner has awarded Lex+ variety Miss Piggy+
the coveted Juwels quality label. Dehner Juwels are flowers
and plants featuring a long shelf life, a beautiful shape and
stunning colours.
Lufthansa Cargo expands its services to South America
FRANKFURT: Newly a daily connection to Viracopos/Brazil is
offered. New flights on Mondays are also available to Bogota/
Colombia, raising the frequencies to the southern coast of
South America to thrice-weekly.
Sakata sells UK young plant division to Early
Ornamentals
THIRSK: Sakata announced the divestment of its young plant
production activity at Sakata Ornamentals UK Ltd. based in
Thirsk, UK, owned by European Sakata Holding SAS, based in
Montpellier, France. A new young plant production company,
Earley Ornamentals Ltd., under the ownership of Simon Earley,
former managing director of Sakata Ornamentals UK, will
continue production operations in the Thirsk facilities in order
to supply high-quality young plants to the UK market. The UK
seed distribution of Sakata genetics will continue through
Earley Ornamentals and the known direct supply of their
European logistic center in Denmark.
Miami
Prices
Total
Indoor Plants
Total
Garden Plants
Total
Weeks 1 to 32 (December 29 to August 7, 2009)
Product
% 09:08and,
Price
2009 Price
2008
I was recently travelling withQuantity
family in Europe
although
this was
not my first trip, I was reminded
of some of-13.7
the many cultural
Alstroemeria
135,748,787
0.14 dif- 0.14
ferences between Europe and
America, which-0.1
are hard to
miss. During
Anthurium
46,875,474
0.37
0.47
my stay with family in Germany we were very pleased to find that the
Chrysant.
97,245,353
5.5
0.29
0.35
availability of organically grown and raised food was widespread. In the
Chrysant.
620,248,428
-5.2 to find0.19
0.22
US you Spray
have to look harder
and read more labels
good choices.
Chrysant. Santini
127,841,653
-6.4
0.15
0.16
Germans refer to these products
as Bio-products
Cymbidium
9,482,233
16.3 and this
2.34was a bles3.59
sing for a man travelling with his vegan wife, or perhaps she was the
Cymbidium Mini
3,765,456
3.6
1.14
1.69
vegan travelling with her carnivorous husband. In either case it made
Carnation
67,905,995
-12.2
0.15 in a land
0.15
eating less of a hassle, which
in itself is an understatement
Carnation
Spray and birthday35,216,237
-16.1
0.10
0.10
where eating
celebrations take
on a whole
new meaning
for us, on-the-go
used to our fast-8.2
food. Make
Eustoma
russellianumAmericans
65,645,217
0.32no mistake
0.31
about it though, Germans are serious about their birthdays and all of
Freesia Double
55,270,129
-11.9
0.16
0.17
the associated cakes, pies, coffee and libations that go with them. It is
Freesia
-8.8 they are
0.14
0.15
amazing that they are not158,205,752
all obese, for indeed,
not!
Gerbera Large
125,017,743
2.1
0.15
0.19
For some
a few of the boys decided
to a water0.10
Gerbera
Minientertainment 444,560,843
-2.0 to go
0.09
park for a day of fun and getting water in places it does not belong.
Gladiolus
32,062,012
-9.3
0.13
0.13
The park was very clean and warm inside, a stark contrast to the cold
Helianthus
32,014,861
-4.1
0.27
0.28
weather outside. As we entered the changing area I was a bit surprised
Hippeastrum
14,122,224
-19.9
0.61 there0.60
to see a hint of nudity from
men and women
alike, however,
was
no embarrassment or giant
efforts to conceal
themselves.
Hypericum
92,959,195
-9.5
0.14
0.15
Iris
51,144,206
-21.7
0.12
0.10
After several rides and slides we decided to take a sauna, my 12 yearLilium
Asiatic
25,147,592
-24.3
0.28
old nephew, who was also acting as my translator, said, “Let’s go in0.28
Lilium
Longifl
this one,
it’sorum
nude!” Hmm!32,082,741
Sure, let’s go. Th-16.7
ere we were0.33
like living 0.37
statues
parading
all to see with a-9.4
bunch of young
Lilium
Oriental
Hybr. around for
90,414,231
0.55 and not
0.59
so young Germans. Now, I36,312,969
am no stranger to8.1
nudity and
Limonium
0.18have seen0.19
my share of naked people but the tone was quite relaxed and natural,
Rose Large
1,557,551,344
1.2
0.23
0.27
despite my well-placed towel (there’s still some Catholic in me).
Rose Small
478,697,377
-8.5
0.10
0.12
Conversely,
is just so uptight
Rose
Spray American culture
36,355,883
-18.6about nudity
0.33 that the0.32
sitegreen
of one
exposed280,737,480
breast during the Superbowl
a0.13
few years 0.14
Cut
andnearly
Decorat.
-6.5
back created a media frenzy of biblical proportions. Yet on any day of
Solidago
42,232,287
-6.8
0.12
0.13
the week you can watch people on television get shot or cut up into
Tulip
0.13 of stranger
0.15
little pieces with blood fl1,368,962,342
ying everywhere, plus1.9a whole host
7,202,782,654
-3.7
0.21
things. But one misplaced
boob, butt or other
fun body0.19
part gets loose,
and look out! However, there is some consolation for us because as every
American boy knows - if there is a TV show on about indigenous people
Berry/Fruit plants
2,823,129
13.6
2.04
2.08
living in the jungle we can see boobs and lots more beside. On these
Flowering
Plants
253,897,764
6.0 Government
1.13 agency
1.18
shows the
boobs have been
deemed safe by some
as
Bulb/Tuberous
73,932,034
0.80
they are not the ‘same boobs’
found on white-9.0
American0.98
girls.
Bromelia
20,186,825
3.7
1.74
1.90
The vacation party moved23,907,696
on and we ended-1.8
up at our 1.11
favourite place
Cactus/Succulent
1.11
in Europe, Amsterdam , which is also the location of the offices of this
Green
Plants
100,260,368
-5.3
1.41
1.50
wonderful magazine, Floraculture International. As we ventured out
Orchids
68,089,526
33.3to see the3.46
4.20
into the streets of my favourite
European city
sites, one did
not have to look too hard 10,956,025
to determine that-9.4
the culture2.88
in Amsterdam
Palms
2.87
is
very
diff
erent
to
that
in
America.
Th
anks
for
the
memories!
Ferns
6,487,259
-3.6
1.05
1.08
579,367,987
3.0
1.50
1.54
Remember to wear your top, Miami is hot!
Tree/Shrub/Climbing
43,136,107
14.7
1.96
ConifersWilliam Armellini has7,486,046
32.7
1.20
been in the floral industry
Annual/Biennial
195,102,879
-6.9
since birth and works
for Greenleaf Sourcing
in 0.62
PerennialMiami. william@floracultureinternational.com
53,057,655
5.1
0.96
www.greenleafwholesale.com.
297,502,263
-2.1
0.89
1.91
1.29
0.55
0.88
0.79
49
Patent Legislation
Patent rights have
entered the plant
breeding domain, but
unlike the breeder’s
rights system, there
isn’t an agreement on
breeder’s exemption.
This is threatening
the balance between
rewarding a
breeder for his/her
innovation efforts
and the continual
improvement of
varieties by other
breeders.
Backlash brewing
in breeders’ domain
(left to right) Aad van Elsen, managing
director Plantum NL; Judith Blokland,
lawyer Plantum NL; and, Sandra Poot,
senior staff member and responsible for
the ornamental section of Plantum NL.
A
by Judith Blokland,
lawyer Plantum NL
long with plant breeder’s
rights, patent rights have
entered the plant breeding
domain over the last two decades.
It is important to note that the
possibilities to patent plant material
are not the same in all countries. For
instance, in the USA plant varieties
can get a utility patent while in
most African countries, there is no
possibility to patent plant material.
In Europe, while it is not possible to
patent plant varieties, it is possible
to patent specific traits or methods.
Varieties that possess a patented trait
or varieties resulting from a patented
method fall under the scope of the
patent, as long as the coverage of
the patent is not limited to only one
variety. This means that in practice,
varieties can be patented in an
indirect manner under European
legislation. Patent rights are different
from plant breeder’s rights in that
they don’t have a breeder’s exemption. As a consequence, varieties that
fall under the scope of the patent are
not allowed to be used and exploited
freely.
On May 6, 2009 Plantum NL
adopted a new position with
regards the relationship between
patent rights and plant breeder’s
rights, mainly based on the current
situation in Europe. This position is
as follows:
1. Biological material protected by
patent rights should be freely
available for the development of
new varieties.
2. The use and exploitation of these
new varieties should be free, in
agreement with the “breeder’s
exemption” of the UPOV Convention.
3. The aforementioned free availability, use and exploitation are not
allowed to be obstructed in any
way, either directly or indirectly,
by patent rights.
Who is Plantum NL?
Plantum NL is the Dutch association for breeding, tissue culture,
production and trade of seeds and young plants and represents
some 430 businesses in floriculture, horticulture and agriculture.
Plantum NL looks after the interests of the entire industry as
well as groups of members. It has an influential voice and is
a professional partner in discussions with the authorities and
interest groups in the Netherlands and abroad. Plantum NL also
represents the Dutch industry in the international organisations
for plant reproduction material such as the European Seed Association, International Seed Federation, CIOPORA and EU Plant.
50
Intellectual property is a main priority and our focus lies on the
plant breeder’s rights system in the Netherlands and the EU, but
if there is a specific interest Plantum NL also works to improve
breeder’s rights in various countries all over the world, e.g. China, East Africa, India and Chile. For this our worldwide network
of Dutch Agricultural Attachés is a great help, and the fact that
the Dutch plant breeder’s rights system and its DUS-examination
is appreciated widely as a system of high quality. Other prominent topics are the lifting of trade barriers and phyto-sanitary
limitations for import and export, legislation on crop protection
products and legislation on genetic resources and biodiversity.
by Kerry Herndon
The success of our breeding industry
largely relies on the possibility to
use freely, all available plant varieties
in breeding programs. In the short
term, companies might gain from
the monopolization of plant varieties
or traits, but be aware that the
situation can be reversed with these
same companies being confronted
with the patent of a competitor! The
patent holder can, of course, grant
licences. However, there is no guarantee whatsoever that each breeder
will obtain a licence, or will obtain
a licence on acceptable terms and
conditions. Moreover, in practice,
not just one but several licences will
often be needed, making a difficult
situation even more difficult. It
becomes clear that the openness and
innovation so characteristic of the
breeding sector until now is seriously
hampered.
Only a matter of time
This might sound like a future scenario for the ornamentals sector, but
we have seen how quickly patents
have appeared in the agricultural
and horticultural seed sector. We believe that it is only a matter of time
before the same will happen in the
ornamentals sector. We are already
experiencing, more and more, the
moves by ornamental breeders to
try and claim new variety types (sub
groups). Either they argue that all
other varieties of the new type are
EDVs of the first variety or, they try
to patent the trait or method (which
has led to the creation of the first
variety). These practices inhibit innovation. Different breeders should
be able to create and market varieties
of a type (or specific trait) as long as
they are introducing something new.
This is not only in the interest of the
breeding sector, but also growers and
consumers, both of whom would
like to have the choice.
It is understandable that if the opportunity arises companies apply
for patent protection. In fact we
can see a huge increase in patent
applications in recent years. It seems,
however, that nowadays many of the
companies are filing for patents as a
defence strategy: to obtain a license
from a competitor, the negotiating
position is stronger when you are
able to grant a licence in return. In
the end, the whole system will cost
an enormous amount of money
and it will only be those companies
with the largest patent portfolio
that will benefit. For this reason, the
companies united through Plantum
NL have decided that they want to
change the scope of the patent legislation: to keep the independency
of breeding companies, which has
always existed through the system of
plant breeder’s rights.
The Dutch Ministry of Agriculture
and of Economical Affairs have recently initiated a study on the social
and economic effects of patenting in
the plant breeding sector. A group
of researchers is going to examine
the current influence of patents on
the industry as well as the effects
in the long term. The second part
of the study will focus on possible measures that can be taken
to improve the current situation.
Plantum NL clearly advocates the
introduction of a full breeder’s
exemption in the European (and
thus Dutch) patent legislation. A full
breeder’s exemption, according to
the UPOV Convention, not only allows breeding activities with varieties
that fall under the scope of a patent,
but also the free commercialisation
of new, distinct varieties even if these
varieties would still fall under the
patent claims.
Plantum NL does still see a role for
patent rights in the plant propagating sector. Activities other than
breeding, such as production and
reproduction, with the varieties
brought on the market by the
patent holder should stay forbidden
without the approval of the patent
holder. This approval is also obliged
for the use of patented methods. |||
Foreign companies can also become a
member of Plantum NL: info@plantum.nl; T +31 182 688 668); www.
plantum.nl, www.plantumb2b.com.
Stuff
Biofuels
I was recently at a conference called “Farm to Fuel” put on by the
state of Florida. This is my second year at the conference and a lot of
progress has been made. I have been a cellulosic ethanol sceptic for
years because the chemistry of breaking those carbon bonds is hard.
British Petroleum announced a cellulosic ethanol processing plant in
Highlands County, about two hours from my home. They plan to use
fast growing, energy grasses as their feedstock. Several other companies
were announcing different ways to make fuel from cellulose and algae.
A lot of activity.
Meanwhile, last week at the Ohio show, John Van Wingerten was looking at growing some tropical plants. John said that since his source of
heat for the greenhouse comes directly from burning waste-wood, he
can now grow some crops that need a bit more heat. This is quite a different story from a year ago. Maybe our future greenhouse production
will depend on the success of these biofuel projects. I certainly don’t
think many of us could survive if the price shock of last year became
permanent. People would just not pay the price for stuff grown in cold
area greenhouses.
Governments may even intervene to decide who will get the scarce fuels
in the future. CO2 from greenhouse boilers is a big issue, which up
until now, none of us have had to discuss. Of course our product does
capture CO2 but I don’t know what percentage of the CO2 we produce
is captured by the plants we grow. At some point I expect the governments of at least the first world to impose a high carbon tax for all of
the CO2 produced. This added cost must be included in the price of the
products we sell. If we can become carbon neutral or carbon negative
then we can sell carbon credits. Right now the carbon tax and credit
system is a mess. But as concern over global warming increases world
governments will move to fix the mess and make something that will
cause us all to reduce our carbon footprint. Retailers are already looking at our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint. Wal-Mart is pushing
very hard to become the leader in sustainability. They will demand that
their suppliers follow. Tesco also requires carbon audits of many of its
suppliers.
In September a new documentary film called “Fuel” will be released in
theatres. The director, Josh Tickell, was an early advocate of bio-diesel.
His film is about America’s addiction to oil. At the Florida “Farm to
Fuel” meeting I saw a thirty minute preview of the film. I believe that
it will have the same or perhaps a greater impact than Al Gore’s “An
Inconvenient Truth”. All of us that use and make a lot of CO2 must
start to change and find ways to reduce our footprint. We can use our
imagination and get ahead of the problem. If we don’t, you can be sure
that the government will impose a solution that we really don’t like.
Kerry Herndon owns Kerry’s Bromeliads,
a tropical potted plant nursery
in Homestead, Florida, United States.
kerryherndon@msn.com
>>>
51
Classifieds
PLANT INVIGORATOR
HELP WANTED
Florasearch, Inc. In our third decade of
performing confidential key employee searches
for the horticulture industry and allied trades
worldwide. Retained basis only. Candidate contact
welcome, confidential, and always free.
1740 Lake Markham Rd.,
Sanford, FL 32771 USA
Phone (1) 407 320 8177,
Fax (1) 407 320 8083,
E-mail: search@florasearch.com,
Website: www.florasearch.com
Lay on area approx 2 m:, Cutting, De-leaving,
Binding, take over unit. Processing speed
approx 5,000 an hour. EURO 21,000 ex
works. www.cyclop.nl
FOR SALE
SRI LANKA COCOPEAT HUSKCHIPS
BEST GROWING SUBSTRATE FOR ROSES
TOMATO POTPLANTS HOME GARDENS
IN BALES GROWBAGS BRICKS. UNICEYL
(PVT) LTD uniceyl@slt.lk
COMPANY SERVICES
JustEssential.eu: multilingual services in
Europe for companies working worldwide.
T 00 33 493 833 278 / contact@justessential.eu
AUTOMATIC FLOWER PROCESSING
LINE (DEMO). A universal and modular
custom-made flower processing machine to
process various kinds of flowers. Approx 5,5 m.
www.sbpi.co.uk
PAPER-POTS MACHINE: Our paper-pot
machine has been developed to produce paperpots, capacity up to max. 5,000 paper-pots per
hour. www.hetotuinbouw.nl
Valley Horticultural Seeds, Inc.
Mission, TX, USA
International Flower Seed Distributor
valleyhort@aol.com
US Company in business 6 years, which
owns two major innovative product lines
with good distribution throughout the
US and with solid reoccurring revenue
is interested in a partnership, merger, or
acquisition.
The Company is well known in the floral
industry and is looking to expand operations.
If you are interested in this opportunity and
would like to know more about this US
Company please contact: Kathy Bertone,
Partner, CO Group, Inc., Certified Merger &
Acquisition Advisor, CM&AA, AMMA,
11921 Freedom Drive, Two Fountain Square,
Suite 550 Reston, VA 20190, USA.
Tel: 866-998-0528
Direct: 703-615-0050
Fax: 703-991-8093
www.cogroup.com
kathy@cogroup.com
Advertising Index
COMPANY
PAGE
WEBSITE
Armada .......................................................................41 ..........www.armadayoungplants.nl
Colombian Association .........................................3,7 ............................www.florverde.org
of Flower Exporters,
Asocolflores Florverde......................................................................... ww.asocolflores.org
Callas New Zealand Ltd.........................................47 .........www.callasnewzealand.com
CHK Development ............................................Insert .......................................www.chkd.nl
Container Centralen..................................................2 .....www.container-centralen.com
Corn. Bak B.V. ...........................................................46 ...........................www.bromelia.com
Cubecap .....................................................................12 ..............................www.cubecap.ca
Danziger “Dan” Flower Farm ...............................54 ............................www.danziger.co.il
Dekker Chrysanten B.V. ...........................................8 ..............www.dekkerchrysanten.nl
Deliflor Chrysanten B.V. .........................................39 ....................................www.deliflor.nl
DLV Plant....................................................................20 ..................................www.dlvplant.nl
Dutch Plantin B.V. ....................................................22 ....................www.dutchplantin.com
Elbee Advertising Agency.....................................44 ......................................www.elbee.nl
Fair Flowers Fair Plants..........................................48 .....www.fairflowersfairplants.com
Flora Co., Ltd..............................................................52 .............................www.HB-101.co.jp
Floragard Vertriebs GmbH ....................................17 ............................. www.floragard.de
Floranova ...................................................................39 ....................... www.floranova.co.uk
Floricultura B.V. ........................................................41 .......................www.floricultura.com
Flowerport Logistics B.V. .......................................34 .............www.flowerportlogistics.nl
Flowers and Cents...................................................36 .............www.flowersandcents.org
Four Seasons Quality B.V. .......................................9 ...........................................www.fsq.nl
Golden State Bulb Growers..................................42 ............ www.goldenstatebulb.com
Hawe Systems Europe B.V. ..................................19 .................www.hawesystems.com
HilverdaKooij B.V. ....................................................46 ........................www.hilverdakooij.nl
Horticoop .....................................................................4 ..............................www.horticoop.nl
International Horti Fair B.V. ...................................34 ..................................www.hortifair.nl
COMPANY
PAGE
WEBSITE
Konst Alstroemeria B.V. .........................................44 ...................www.alstroemeria.com
Mardenkro......................................................... Cover .......................www.mardenkro.com
Market News Service-MNS ................................36 ....................www.intracen.org/mns
Moerheim New Plant B.V......................................42 ........................www.moerheim.com
Moerheim Roses & Trading..................................48 ........................www.moerheim.com
Olij Rozen....................................................................26 .................................www.olijrozen.nl
PanAmerican Seed.................................................32 .....................www.panamseed.com
Peerdeman Orchideeën ..........................................9 .... www.peerdemanorchideeen.nl
Pindstrup Mosebrug A/S.......................................56 ......................... www.pindstrup.com
Policar Arava Farms ...............................................36 ...............................www.smmol.com
Pöppelmann GmbH & Co. KG...............................20 .................www.poeppelmann.com
Pot Olé W.E.T. Company Aps ................................17 ..................................www.pot-ole.dk
Rancho Tissue Technologies .................................9 .................. www.ranchotissue.com
Rosen Tantau ............................................................31 ...................www.rosen-tantau.com
Royalty Administration Intl. ...................................48 .................www.rai-worldwide.com
SBW International...................................................22 ....................................... www.sbw.nu
Sogo Team Co., Ltd..................................................42 ............www.sogo-orchids.com.tw
Stal & Plast A/S ........................................................47 ........................... www.staal-plast.dk
Stan Brouard Group................................................19 ..................................www.sbpi.co.uk
Sudlac .........................................................................24 ...............................www.sudlac.com
Swingtec GmbH .......................................................55 ............................. www.swingtec.de
Takii & Co., Ltd...........................................................36 ...................................www.takii.co.jp
Taiwan Orchid Growers Association .................22 ...............................www.tios.com.tw
Tref Substrates B.V..................................................24 ..........................www.trefgroup.com
Jiffy Products International AS ...............................................................www.jiffypot.com
M. van Veen B.V. ......................................................44 ...................www.mvanveenbv.com
VWS B.V. ....................................................................34 ................ www.vws-flowerbulbs.nl
This index is provided as a service to our readers. The publisher does not assume responsibility for errors or omissions.
Visit FloraCulture International advertisers on the internet by linking to their Websites from our Digital Online Advertiser Index at
www.floracultureinternational.com. For readers who do not have internet access, please send your request for additional information from any of
our advertisers to FloraCulture International B.V., PO Box 82, 1850 AB Heiloo, the Netherlands, or by Fax+31(0)72 53 23 521. Be sure to include
your name, company name, address, faxnumber and the name(s) of the companies about which you would like to receive additional information.
September
June 2009 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com
53
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Orchids Colombia Patent rights

Transcription

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