Trade Fairs generate taste for more

Transcription

‘Concordia res parvae crescunt’
November 2009 • www.floracultureinternational.com
The business magazine for floriculture worldwide
Trade Fairs generate
taste for more
Proflora 2009
Proflora
P
IInvestors
nvestors
e
exceeds
all
eexpectations
16
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in cut roses
close in on
Moscow 22
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Collectives
at
Aalsmeer
push for name
recognition 40
Container Centralen A/S
Egegårdsvej 20
Postbox 479
DK – 5260 Odense S
Tel. +45 6591 0002
Fax +45 6591 3784
ccinfo@container-centralen.com
www.container-centralen.com
NEW
TAG!
Get ready for
“Operation Chip It” 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 '* % B U
J1 . ' 04 ) "/ $
) JO B % FD FN CF
S In October 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
November 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 November 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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Table of Contents
November 2009 Volume 19 Number 11
Horti Fair strides forward with sustainability theme
Despite this year’s decline in participants and visitors, the Horti Fair management board is striding forward with its plans for
October dates in the coming three years. The show’s international character and qualities in generating attention to developments
in the areas of horticultural technology, parental material and services are stressed as a strategic focus, which will be
strengthened. But before we leap too far ahead into the events awaiting us in 2010, we report on Part 1 of the novelties and
news found in the 2009 Grow&Trade and Tech halls.
08
by Ron van der Ploeg
Proflora 2009 exceeds
all expectations
Collectives and breeders
push for name recognition
The 10th edition of the international Proflora
flower trade show held in Bogotá, Colombia, closed its doors on Saturday October 3,
2009 and was attended by a record number
of qualified buyers from more than 40 nations. In the Corferias exhibition centre the
visitors saw fresh flowers and floral products
from more than 400 exhibiting companies covering 15,000 m2. While the sun
shone brightly outside, the mood inside the
Corferias Center was also upbeat.
The wide array of high quality plants
and flowers at the FloraHolland Trade
Fair Aalsmeer, held from October 14-16,
2009, are rarely presented in a simple pot
or vase anymore as growers increasingly
employ marketing tools ranging from
group representation to unique labelling
and branding to attract the attention
of buyers and inspire sales.
16
Investors close in on Moscow
In the third week of October, the planting of
three rose varieties at the Chekhov Garden
in Central Russia, close to Tula and 240 km
south of Moscow, signals the completion of
the first phase of a specialist cut rose nursery
project, which aims to expand from the initial
3 ha to 12 ha over a five-year period.
by Anabel Evans
22
Broadening business in internal and external markets
Optimism and a proactive attitude are the way
to face the current crisis. These were the main
ideas underlying the proposals made at this
year’s edition of Iberflora, held from October
14-16, 2009 in Valencia, Spain.
by Dr Miguel Merino Pacheco
24
by Anabel Evans
40
Consumer Label: “There
is enough demand, but
only a few growers.”
One consumer label for the worldwide
ornamentals industry remains a dream of the
Fair Flowers Fair Plants (FFP) organisation.
The FFP label has, however, managed to
capture the sales imagination of 4,300 retailers
across 10 countries in Europe over the last
three years. In fact, the supply of FFP products
is not keeping pace with the continuously
increasing demand: a strong signal of the
sales pull, and a motivation for more growers
to become an FFP participant.
by Regina Dinkla
46
Departments
International Events
World News
Prices
Advertising Index
27
28
39
49
Columns
In My Opinion
Globe
Dust
Dutch Comfort
Miami
Touch
Stuff
06
15
21
31
35
37
47
November 2009 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com
05
Colofon
Ron van
der Ploeg
Dennis
Seriese
Angie
Duffree
Claudia
Stokreef
Arturo
Croci
Lotte
Bjarke
Phil
Evans
Dr. Miguel
Merino-Pacheco
q
William
Armellini
Paul
Black
Lucas
Nicholas
Eyal
Policar
Eiji
Yoshikawa
Cilla Lowen
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In my opinion
Labelling
Investors in people caught my attention during various
September visits and interviews. While pulling the reports
together I was impressed by the attitude of entrepreneurial
growers who were obviously determined to develop a higher
level of man management within their companies. I became
enthused by the emphasis placed on the relationship between
human resources and sales. It is no small challenge to
differentiate products in the marketplace and the link made
between quality and people grew on me as a logical move by
professional growers seeking to expand sales. Their skill to
grow crops is proven. Acquiring the skills to become labelled as
a source of consistently high quality products in new markets
is an obvious next step.
The October schedule of trade fair visits only reinforced this
advanced phase of name recognition targeted by individual
growers. At the FloraHolland Trade Fair Aalsmeer, the mode
of labelling now goes beyond the labels affixed to an article
or printed directly on pots or sleeves to provide information
about the original source, usually in the form of a logo, and
advice on consumer use. More and more of the auction’s
members have become involved in sales and marketing groups.
The number of growers in the various collectives varies from
two to three up to 40, but most seem to have between 10 and
20 members. The objective of these groups, without exception,
is to have more direct contact with buyers and strengthen their
marketing identity, still within a safe haven of the auction
guarantees. The skill required of these groups revolves around
creating a link between their name and quality products
supplied in high volumes and/or broad assortments.
The marketing independence evolving from these primary
sector activities runs parallel with a mounting controversy
in the Dutch services sector. The organisational cooperation
of the Horti Fair, the Flower Council of Holland and
FloraHolland has been instrumental in making Holland
a focal point of the international ornamentals industry
during the Horti Fair Week - an umbrella label for Dutch
Horticulture. In 2010, however, both the enthusiasm and
travel agendas of international (and national) exhibitors and
visitors participating in Dutch Horticulture hospitality are
going to be tested as a result of the FloraHolland Trade Fair
Aalsmeer changing its dates back to the (widely preferred) first
week of November. Let’s hope that the growers can learn from
this experience: Once a strong label has been established on
the world map, be very wary of either changing your
product identity or letting internal disputes shake
the foundations of the original goal.
The outside world is not very forgiving
if labelling standards fall short of
expectations and are quick to seek
alternative options.
Anabel Evans, editor
anabel@floracultureinternational.com
Grow, Trade and Tech
Despite this year’s
decline in participants
and visitors, the Horti
Fair management
board is striding
forward with its
plans for October
dates in the coming
three years. The
show’s international
character and
qualities in generating
attention to
developments in the
areas of horticultural
technology, parental
material and services
are stressed as a
strategic focus, which
will be strengthened.
But before we leap
too far ahead into the
events awaiting us in
2010, here is Part 1
of the novelties and
news found in the
2009 Grow&Trade and
Tech halls.
Horti Fair strides forward
Perennial Gerbera wins
Horti Grow&Trade award
The Garvinea® Perennial Gerbera
series of Florist De Kwakel won
the Innovation Award in the Horti
Grow&Trade category. Fourteen different, profusely blooming varieties
of this series are available. According
to the jury, the improved hardiness
and simultaneous introduction in
several colours increases the market
potential of the product. The Horti
Fair Innovation Award, along with
the Horti Fair Innovation Award
nomination for Gerbera ‘Twice’ (a
large flowered, bi-coloured variety
with a black heart) and the FloraHolland Fleur Primeur Award for
the small flowered gerbera ‘Lovin’
generated lots of free publicity. This
compensated slightly for the dramatic 27% decrease in visitors to this
year’s Horti Fair, says Robin Bartels
adding that Florist De Kwakel is
possibly looking for an alternative
next year. “Nothing is decided yet
but we will certainly attend HPP’s
exhibitors meeting for the first
edition of the International Flower
Fair, to be held from November 2 to
5, 2010 in Vijfhuizen.”
In the meantime, the response
on Florist’s Garvinea was very
positive. “Growers from the US,
Latin America, Australia, Japan and
Europe have showed interest in this
new perennial gerbera, which is
currently being tested by a Dutch
perennial plant grower producing
the plant in a 15 cm pot. We would
like to form a small group of perennial growers to gradually introduce
the Garvinea on the market next
Spring.” Garvinea has a crop time of
10 to 12 weeks in the Netherlands
and must be hardened off like a real
perennial; it is suitable for different pot sizes. “It all depends on
which type of market the grower is
focusing on. In a 19 to 21 cm pot
The different
shaped flowers
of Könst X-treme
make it unique
in comparison to
other alstroemerias.
08
www.FloraCultureInternational.com | November 2009
you can grow more vigorous plants,
adding two weeks to the crop time.
Depending on the stage of the
young plant, the most ideal temperature lies between 10 and 15°C,
avoiding temperatures below 5°C
and above 20°C when the plant is in
its flowering stage.” Being very aware
that Garvinea is yet a very unknown
name at consumer level, Florist De
Kwakel relies upon marketing tools
and Point-Of-Purchase materials to
help sell its new garden gerbera. “We
are offering a set of POP including
labels, pot wraps and sleeves.”
X-treme unique
alstroemeria
Könst Alstroemeria was voted into
second spot in the Horti Fair Innovation Awards with its Alstroemeria X-treme®, already showcased
during the 2008 edition of Horti
Fair. According to product manager
Henk van der Voorden this new
alstroemeria with freesia shaped
flowers is really something flower arrangers can only dream about. Also
this year X-treme caught the eye of
many visitors who where a little bit
deceived discovering that the yellow
and red varieties were dyed. The
only variety available has greenish to
white flowers with a delicate touch
of pink. Produced merely for small
niche markets, X-treme will probably remain as this single variety.
“Currently this type of alstroemeria
is produced by one grower in the
Netherlands, Mr Van Veen, who
recently expanded his production
area to 4,200 m2.”
According to Van der Voorden
X-treme is performing well at the
Dutch flower auctions with an average price of 30 to 31 eurocent per
stem. Also in Japan some trials with
X-treme are carried out and the response of the market is huge which
is expressed in prices up to €3 per
stem. “This is really something for
the smaller alstroemeria grower who
has a long term relationship with
their buyer. X-treme is unique since
as it has a totally different shape in
comparison to other alstroemeria
with sustainability theme
The Horti Fair Innovation Award 2009 in the category Horti Grow&Trade has been conferred by the international trade jury on the Garvinea® Perennial Gerbera series of Florist
De Kwakel. From left: Gijs Kok (jury chairman), Melchior Moen (Florist De Kwakel) and
Horti Fair chairman Marius Varekamp.
varieties representing no leaf drop
in combination with an excellent
shelf life.”
X-treme is not very difficult to grow.
“It grows like any other alstroemeria
reaching a production of 300 to
350 stems/m2/year when grown in
the Netherlands. Overseas, under
different conditions, the productivity would be around 180-200 stems/
m2/year. An extra advantage is that
harvesting twice a week is sufficient
whereas in the current alstroemerias flowers have to be collected
three times a week. One point of
attention would be that the flowers
are harvested in the right flowering
The different shaped flowers of Könst X-treme make it
unique in comparison to other alstroemerias.
stage. Compared to the traditional
alstroemeria crop, it takes a little
more time before the first flowers
of Könst X-treme will open. Where
normally a VBN sorting code 2-3 is
used, for X-treme the 3-4 code is the
best option.”
‘Evening Glow’ on
Breeder’s Market
Nominated for the Horti Fair
Innovation Award for the Begonia
Beleaf ‘Evening Glow’, the Dutch
begonia breeder Koppe attracted
lots of visitors to its stand on Horti
Fair’s Breeder’s Market. Koppe’s
manager, Herman Koppe, is satisfied
>>>
09
Herman Koppe
exhibiting Begonia
Beleaf ‘Evening
Glow’: the Dutch
begonia breeder
Koppe attracted
lots of visitors to
its stand on Horti
Fair’s Breeder’s
Market.
with the idea behind the Breeder’s
Market. He says, “The Breeder’s
Market is a collective presentation and offers the visitors a quick
overview of specialized breeders. For
exhibitors important cost savings
can be made whereas we benefit
from the international character of
the event.”
Begonias have a reputation of being
a fusty, little old lady’s plant? Time
to revisit this issue after seeing Koppe’s Evening Glow with stunning
leaf marking in purple, pink, silver
and black veining. And don’t miss
Koppe’s Barkos collection of Begonia eliator with among others double,
rose-shaped flowers and the Betulia
collection of garden begonias.
10
The first two days the show was
really crowded, Thursday and Friday
attendance was slightly down.
Except for our agents in Germany,
who are attending the IPM Essen,
we have seen a large share of our
customers from France, the USA,
Norway and Italy. Koppe believes in
anti-cyclic investment, in showing
your presence even in economically
difficult times.
Koppe, with 2.2 ha of production
in the Netherlands and 1 ha in
Brazil and South Africa, produces
14 million begonia cuttings per year
with the Netherlands and Germany
as leading producers of begonia. The
news for the moment is the acquisition of a new state-of-the-art com-
pany located at the Rietwijkeroordweg 40 in Aalsmeer. The Aalsmeer
premises is primarily focused on the
rooting of begonia cuttings and will
be hosting the Koppe Flower Trials
show in 2010.
New vision for
Taiwan orchids
While this year’s Horti Fair was lacking an official opening ceremony,
the Taiwan Orchid Growers Association, TOGA, together with the
Taipei Representative Office in the
Netherlands, the Taiwan Floriculture Exports Association and the
Taiwan External Trade Development
Council, TAITRA, set up a opening
ceremony of the impressive Taiwan
Pavilion during the first hours of
Horti Fair on Tuesday October 13,
2009.
Mr Frank Liu of the Taipei Representative Office in the Netherlands
took the occasion to unveil the
country’s new vision for Taiwan orchids, thanking Mr Doeke Faber for
his untiring support and commitment to the Taiwanese floriculture
sector. A sector which was hit by a
vicious typhoon in August 2009.
“With regards to the orchid sector
around 2% of the production
was badly affected. Taiwan is now
already back on the way to international trade.”
Data on the international orchid
trade sourced from TAITRA show
a dramatic increase in export value
of Taiwan orchids from USD 41.3
million in 2003 to USD 80.8 million in 2008. According to Mr Chad
Cheng from the Taiwan Floriculture Exports Association Taiwan is
currently exporting orchids to more
than 76 countries. With its large
orchid assortment, its continuing
R&D in tissue culture, better shipping techniques and the most ideal
natural conditions, it is Taiwan’s
strong wish to increase its 14%
market share in Europe.
The total production area for
floriculture in Taiwan is over 13,000
ha of which 220 ha is devoted to the
production of phalaenopsis (flasks,
young plants and flowering plants).
The production areas for oncidium,
cymbidium and paphiopedilum are
respectively 150 ha, 100 ha and 5.6
ha. To avoid any risk of viruses the
Good and Green Pavilion
Taiwanese companies apply strict
protocols to manage virus levels.
During the multiplication process
the plantlets are screened for virus
with ELISA and PT-PCR tests.
Mr Cheng stressed that next year
there are two good reasons to travel
to Taiwan. The first floral rendezvous is from March 6 to 15, 2010
when the Taiwan International
Orchid Show (TIOS) is opening
its doors in Tainan County. Seven
months later the AIPH approved
Taipei International Flora Expo will
be inaugurated running until April
25, 2011.
Bio based packaging
Van der Windt, a leading provider
of a wide range of packaging materials for the world agri business is
anticipating the trend of corporate
sustainability. An increasing number
of companies are using bio-based
materials to package (some) of
their products. Loes van der Toolen
of Van der Windt sees a growing
awareness and interest in compostable packaging among governments
and consumers and expects that
within five years up to 60% of the
packaging will be biodegradable.
Van der Windt supplies packaging
made from renewable raw materials
such as (corn)starch or bio-mass and
from fibrous materials such as sugar
cane and palm fibres. When talking
about films the company has three
types of different material. PLA
(Poly Lactic Acid) has properties
comparable to PP plastic. PLA is
completely transparent and suitable
>>>
Loes van der Toolen of Van der Windt expects that within five
years up to 60% of packaging will be biodegradable.
Twenty sustainable concepts were shown on the Good&Green Pavilion. Backed by the Dutch
Product Board of Horticulture and the Horti Fair, the pavilion served as a platform for the
exchange of ideas and research findings. Targeting retailers, all showcased products should
educate the consumers about the value of sustainability and should help to prove that both the
flower industry and retail are facing up to its social and environmental responsibilities.
Bloom, a leading provider of mainly roses to retailers in Europe, presented the show-goers
with rose and carnation bouquets produced on the Kenya-based Oserian farm. The message
is that Oserian focuses on good labour practices and to strengthen this message each flower
bouquet comes with a colourful bracelet made by five different Kenyan tribes. The members
of the tribe are paid for making the bracelets. Kenya’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Mrs R
Rono, presented Mr Albert Voogd with the first bouquet of flowers.
The Ponga Treefern Company is intensively working together with the Maoris in New Zealand
to optimize the growing and harvesting process of the Ponga ferns. Ponga is helping them
to understand and become more aware of their unique treasure - the tree ferns. The Ponga
Treefern company is offering tree ferns in pots made from tree fern trunks grown in production
woods.
The most daring presentation was done by Acqua Universo and the 9 ha rose nursery Villa
Rosa in Honselersdijk. Owners Theo and Ron van der Knaap are unconventional businessmen
in the true sense of the word, breaking with the rational way of thinking in terms of cost price,
chemical crop protection, fertilization, benefits, targets and production figures. According to
Theo van der Knaap, we are on the verge of pushing nature into an alarming state of instability. “One thing is for sure I don’t believe in the conventional way of producing flowers and
plants. Our goal is to produce roses which are more pure, healthy and strong by using less
input. For instance, this year we used around 20% less chemicals and while the conventional
rose grower is dosing 1000 ppm CO2, we are working with a 400 ppm dose. In the long run we
even hope to increase the life span of our rose plants. Growing ‘Passion’, normally the plants
are renewed every four to six years, but we’re hoping to significantly extend this period. With
Vitally Grown of Acqua Universo Villa Rosa is returning to the old laws of nature.”
The laws of nature might be old, the ideas behind this new production method is really new
age: “Water comes in contact with its original frequency when you vitalize it. Vital water
gives the plant more energy and it will strengthen the root hairs allowing the plant to absorb
substances more quickly,” explains Theo van der Knaap, adding that the costs of Vitally
Grown are totalling 2,000 per ha. This includes 30 devices to reduce the radiation of a nearby
GSM base station and a number of 60 cm metal tubes allowing the cosmic energy to freely
flow. “Stagnant water starts to stink. The same goes for energy which must flow.”
Flower growers are down to earth people. How do they react? “It was interesting to see that
even growers could taste the difference between vitally grown tomatoes and the conventional ones. Also, we found out that international growers have a more open mind than the Dutch
growers.”
If Vitally Grown has a future, then there is still an awful lot of work to do. Only 10% of the
consumers are aware of the fact that sustainable flowers and plants are available in the shop;
one in three people do not want to pay extra for sustainable flowers and plants. This was
concluded by the Dutch Product Board for Horticulture (PT), who has carried out consumer
research in the Netherlands, Germany, France and the United Kingdom.
Acqua Universo
and Villa Rosa
owners, Theo and
Ron van der Knaap,
are unconventional
businessmen in the
true sense of the
word.
11
for (flowpack) film, sleeves and dishes. But it represents the disadvantage of having a narrow seal range.
When sleeving potted plants for
example there is a risk the seal seam
comes off. Also, PLA film is a rather
crispy and thus noisy material. The
Wenterra® material is produced by
Germany-based Wentus (of which
Van der Windt is a division) and
made from (corn)starch. Wenterra is
comparable to PE and ideal for the
manufacture of garbage bags. “Some
trials with potted herbs in biodegradable Wenterra have been carried
out by the Dutch supermarket chain
Albert Heijn. The disadvantage is
that Wenterra has a milky appearance.” NatureflexTM, to conclude, is
a film based on cellulose with a wide
seal range. “When it comes to transparency Natureflex would be the
best option for flower sleeves. Still,
there are some hurdles to be taken
as the material is rather sensible to
moisture.” At Wentus Germany
there is ongoing research to find the
most perfect bio flower sleeve. The
key may be found in combining the
above mentioned materials into one
single product.
New flower cooler
Bercomex Retail’s Sanne Geurtjens
and Frrresh’s John Celie were
exhibiting the latest innovation in
flower displays for supermarkets:
“Frrresh…”.This new floral cooler
offers supermarket floral departments a professional look, excellent
cooling conditions and subsequently
lower waste percentages and higher
profits. John Celie explains that
Frrresh is meant to make things
easier for the retailer: the buckets
with flowers are packed in a box
which is placed onto a pallet. Upon
arrival in the supermarket it’s just
a question of taking the forefront
of the cooler away and putting the
flowers on the right spot.
Sales of Frrresh flowers is under
licence (€200 per year) and the low
energy cooler can be leased for three
years with a option for a two year
extension of the contract (€700).
www.frrresh.nl is listing the current
dealers, all divisions of the Dutch
Flower Group. Celie stresses that
dealership is open to all exporting companies, not only those
belonging to the DFG. Supplying
growers must be MPS certified and
all products must comply with the
VBN quality standards. In addition,
external checks of temperature,
flower foods and vase life tests are
carried out by Flower Watch.
As the cooler finds itself directly on
the ground in a horizontal position,
the customer has to bend down to
take the flower bouquet out. “I agree
that the average customer is lazy but
a horizontal presentation is definitely
the best one. One good example
would be the daily markets where
flowers are presented in buckets on
the ground. The flowers may not be
on the shopper’s eye level but can be
admired from the top, definitely the
best part of the bouquet.”
“The reactions on Frrresh have
been overwhelming,” says Celie,
adding that 20 supermarket stores
in Germany are currently testing the
concept.
Hortiquip wins Horti
Tech award
Frrresh… is the
latest innovation in
flower displays for
supermarkets.
12
The phalaenopsis staking machine of
the Maassluis-based company Hortiquip has won the prestigious Horti
Fair Innovation Award in the Horti
Tech category. According to the jury,
it is a clever innovation which can
achieve major cost savings and also
has a short earn-back period.
The machine has been developed to
automate the cultivation of the potted phalaenopsis and uses triangle
laser technology to position stakes
to support the plants, including
the automatic attachment of clips.
“The staking machine can achieve
a 60 to 70% reduction in staking
labour,” says Hortiquip’s owner and
managing director Edward Keijzer.
“An average worker is staking 100
to 150 plants per hour whereas our
machine has a capacity of 750 plants
per hour.”
According to Keijzer, Hortiquip’s
staking machine for phalaenopsis
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Thankful and with pride
the
Koppe family announLisanne
ces the opening of it’s state
of the art facility: located at the
Rietwijkeroordweg 40 Aalsmeer, The Netherlands.
Herman
Bert
This Koppe location is focused on rooting Begonia cuttings.
Our enthusiastic team works with dedication to change
this new nursery into a professional Koppe rooting facility.
The Horti Fair Innovation Award 2009 in the category Horti Tech has been conferred by the international trade jury on the staking machine of the Maassluis-based company Hortiquip. From left: Jury
chairman Gijs Kok, Eduard Keijzer from Hortiquip, Horti Fair chairman Marius Varekamp.
is now operational at De Vreede
Orchids in Bleiswijk providing 90
to 95% with the support stake.
“The most difficult problem lies in
the scanning of the plant. We are
constantly busy with improving
the software. At the end of this year
the €60,000 machine will be ready
for a wider market introduction.
Currently we have demands from
around 20 orchid nurseries.”
Founded in 2003 Hortiquip has
already acquired a wealth of experience in staking machines for begonia, vegetable young plants, geranium
and schefflera: the latter crop serving
as one of the most important sources
of information during the two-year
development stage. “In schefflera,
just like in phalaenopsis, the support
stake must be place in a fixed place
at the same depth and always in an
14
upright position. Also we learned a
lot by filming the staking process.
We found out for example that
fetching and fixing the clip on the
stake took quite some time. So we
decided to develop a machine that
first attaches the clip to the stake
and then provides the plant with
the complete support stake.”
Alternative to
prohibited lamps
On the basis of the so-called Ecodesign Directive, the EU is defining
minimum requirements for the
energy efficiency of numerous everyday products. These requirements
apply not only to refrigerators
and washing machines, but as of
September 1, 2009, also to incandescent lamps and other energyintensive light sources. Switching to
energy-efficient lighting can reduce
energy consumption for lighting,
Europe-wide, by as much as 30%.
This would represent a saving of
160 billion kWh of electricity and
would reduce European CO2 emissions by more than 60 million tons.
Incandescent lamps with over 80
W (i.e. 100 W incandescent lamps
in Germany) and all frosted lamps
that do not conform to Energy
Class A, may no longer be put into
circulation as of September 2009.
New lamps and wattages will then
successively fall under the prohibition in annual stages. In 2012, the
last incandescent lamps should then
have disappeared from the shops
entirely.
By introducing its Oreon E27
LED lighting, Lemnis Lighting is
presenting an interesting alterna-
by Sjaak Langeslag
Globe
Knowledge
Oreon E27 LED lighting is an interesting alternative for the 100 W
incandescent lamps used for cyclic lighting in the production of
horticultural crops.
Recently I have read an article about the contacts between producers and institutes for research and education. Remarkably high
percentages were reported. Looking in more detail it appeared
that high numbers of growers attend meetings where the results
of research trials are reported and discussed. This seems logical
as these are the places to be if you are anxious to learn about the
new developments in, for example, production techniques, crop
protection or energy saving. Of course you can read the reports in
magazines or on websites, but a clear explanation in combination
with questions and remarks from colleagues certainly gives added
value. The process of implementation is already starting during
these meetings. Another remarkable finding shows that, especially,
those entrepreneurs who are known for their innovative attitude
were keen on having other types of contact as well. They engaged
researchers more frequently and established joint projects with
the research institutes. Also, trainees from universities and high
schools were invited to work with these producers’ companies
more often.
Knowledge and new brains are obviously relevant to company
development and profitability.
For this reason AIPH has established a new Standing Committee
on Science and Education during its latest congress in Zaragoza. The main assignment of this committee is to stimulate the
international exchange of students, trainees and employees, and
to improve the transfer and communication of research results.
Governments and the industry are spending quite a significant
amount of money on research, so the committee is been tasked
with seeing what international combinations can be made to
obtain the maximum levels of synergy.
tive for the 100 W incandescent
lamps used for cyclic lighting in the
production of horticultural crops.
According to Robin Kroon, the
Netherlands-based company Lemnis has already five years of LED
development. Its expectations to set
up 30 ha of horticultural production under LED were hindered by
the economic downturn. Nevertheless, the company is continuing its
trials at the Hoogstraten Research
Centre in Belgium where three
types of Lemnis LED’s are tested in
simulated strawberry cultivation.
At the Horti Fair Lemnis presented
the Oreon E27 to visitors from
Finland, Denmark, Italy, China
and the US.
The advantages of the Oreon
E27 are noted as its even light
distribution, colour choice and
height positioning above the plant:
the latter presenting opportunities
to work in layers. A traditional
100 W incandescent lamp converts
energy into unnecessary heat.
Applying the Oreon E27 a grower
can realise up to 80% energy
savings while also improving plant
quality with a balanced use of red
and blue light. The trial in Belgium
features 1 LED per 10 m2. One
Lemnis LED costs around €40
against €2.50 for the traditional
bulb, but the life span of 30,000 to
40,000 hours is considerably longer
than the traditional incandescent
lamp (3 months). |||
Horti Fair Part 2 in the December
issue will be reporting on more of the
company innovations found at Horti
Grow&Trade and Horti Tech.
Many people in the industry fear competition when knowledge
and research results are shared in an open system and they are
eager to keep new things to themselves. They underestimate the negative effects of, for example, poor quality products to the overall
image at a consumer level, which in the end affects all companies.
Sharing knowledge as much as possible can improve the product
quality of the poorer performers which in turn can be of benefit to
the results of all companies through increased consumer satisfaction. As said, quite a significant amount of money from the industry and governments is spent on research. The more companies that
benefit from these investments the better it is. And let’s be realistic,
the real competitiveness relates to the skills of the entrepreneurs,
not to knowledge or research outcome. These are perishable and
quickly outdated with today’s technology developing at high speed.
Plus, sharing knowledge means multiplying knowledge, because
of all the intelligent questions that will be asked and need to be
answered. This is not only valid at the local level but at a global
level too.
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
Bogotá Colombia
The 10th edition of
the international
Proflora flower trade
show held in Bogotá,
Colombia, closed its
doors on Saturday
October 3, 2009 and
was attended by a
record number of
qualified buyers from
more than 40 nations.
In the Corferias
exhibition centre the
visitors saw fresh
flowers and floral
products from more
than 400 exhibiting
companies covering
15,000 m2. While the
sun shone brightly
outside, the mood
inside the Corferias
Center was also
upbeat.
Proflora 2009 exceeds
all expectations
M
r Alvaro Uribe Vélez, President of the Republic of
Colombia, was invited as
special guest of honour, and praised
the sector’s efforts in sustainable
production and workers’ welfare.
“The Colombian flower industry
has made a big contribution to the
country’s security, helping thus to attract more foreign investments,” said
Uribe. For his dedication and ongoing commitment to the Colombian flower industry, Asocolflores
(Association of Colombian Flower
Exporters) awarded the President
with the Edgar Wells Prize. This
prestigious prize was named after
Edgar Wells, the first Colombian
grower who started to export his
flowers to the USA in 1965.
Augusto Solano Mejia, executive
president of Asocolflores, drew
attention to the course of action
President Uribe has taken, which
has served to positively transform
the country in the space of just a
few years. “Once a stigmatized and
internationally isolated country,
Colombia now attracts domestic
and foreign investors who trust and
believe in the country. Colombians
have reclaimed their sense of pride
and safety, feeling that once again
the country belongs to us,” said
Solano Mejia.
A boat sailing in
rocky waters
According to the Asocolflores president, flowers are not recession proof.
“The flower industry boat is sailing
in rocky waters everywhere and the
end of the storm is nowhere in sight.
Everybody needs to pull together.
Still, there is a huge market,” stressed
Solano Mejia. “During a global crisis
people start to save money, doing
more things at home. Asocolflores
is simultaneously supporting some
studies at Harvard proving that
flowers decrease depression, anxiety
and stress and increase compassion,
enthusiasm and energy.”
True flower
ambassadors
On the occasion of Proflora’s 10th
anniversary the organizing body
awarded a special prize of honour to
Ernesto (chairman of the Asocolflores board of directors) and Lucie
Vélez. An outstanding aspect in
the jury’s motivation is the couple’s
attitude to environmental friendly
production and social responsibility.
Both are called, “True flower ambassadors with the Colombian flower
industry tattooed on their skin.” Mr
and Mrs Vélez were praised for their
untiring efforts and perseverance in
promoting the Colombian flower
industry, even in difficult times.
Diversification an
expensive risk
Opening Ceremony: Mr Alvaro Uribe Vélez, President of the Republic
of Colombia, was invited as special guest of honour, and praised the
sector’s efforts in sustainable production and workers’ welfare.
16
Like father like son: Daniel Vélez is
convinced that growing flowers with
social responsibility and environmental awareness is fundamental to
help the rural community achieve
a better standard of living. Vélez is
highly satisfied with the professional
expertise and expects follow-up
business from the Proflora show.
“It was a huge success in terms of
flower exhibitions; customers from
all over the world dedicated a whole
week and more to visit the show and
farms,” said Vélez
His 15 ha Suasuque nursery has
an annual output of 20 million
stems going into the US, Europe,
Russia and the Carribean. It ranks
among the farms with the highest
standards of Florverde: a label which
True flower ambassadors: On the occasion of Proflora’s
10th anniversary the organizing body awarded a
special Prize of Honour to Ernesto (Chairman of the
Asocolflores Board of Directors) and Lucie Vélez.
is governed by an independent,
third party certification system
and represents stringent social and
environmental criteria.
In the hilly valley of the Teusacá
river, 35km north east of Bogotá,
Daniel Vélez produces mainly alstroemerias. The production of non
traditional flowers like anizoganthos,
eryngium and amaryllis has tended
to fade more into the background.
“We have committed ourselves to
growing non-traditional flowers
to meet the demand for new and
complementary flowers in the market. And although it is important,
it is also an expensive risk. We have
made good choices in general, but
they are highly time-consuming and
marketing is limited. In the long
run we will gear our efforts mainly
towards alstroemeria.”
An immense obstacle
The Colombian flower industry is
currently facing the immense obstacle of currency appreciation. To give
The Suasuque nursery ranks among the farms
with the highest standards of Florverde.
an example: In January 2008 the
average Colombian citizen needed
1,075,000 pesos for an air ticket
to Miami including a 24 hours car
rental and one night over in a 4-star
hotel. If the same Colombian would
do the same thing today, he would
only need 879,000 pesos and with
the remaining 178,000 pesos he
could purchase 93.5 dollars, enough
for a nice meal in downtown
Miami. The weak dollar against a
strong peso is good for travelling
Colombians to America, but bad for
Colombia’s exporting flower farms
which are paid in dollars. How
big is the problem for Suasuque?
How do you cope with it? “It is the
biggest challenge for us because all
of our sales are in US dollars and
that means a yearly average decrease
of 15%, while costs have risen on
average by 10% per year. So, we
have been working practically at non
profit levels for the last three years.”
Close to Perfection
Quality is fundamental to Suasuque
which is one of the nine participants
in the Perfection program. “Alstroemeria is having a come back thanks
to the new amazing varieties offered
by Dutch breeders, and although the
plants are expensive, the quality and
performance of the new varieties are
impressive. We have also introduced
an open, cut alstroemeria with high
quality standards called Perfection.
It is the best grade buyers can get
in an alstroemeria. It has beautiful
colours, very big blooms, strong
stems and up to seven blooms per
>>>
17
Bogotá Colombia
stem. Besides, Perfection is the only
alstroemeria that shows its actual
colour right after being received. By
choosing a Perfection alstroemeria,
buyers are getting a beautiful, open
flower ready to use.”
What are your expectations for
the upcoming Valentine’s Day and
which nice red varieties will Suasuque be presenting its buyers? “Red
is a complex colour in alstroemeria.
Only recently have true red varieties
become available, such as ‘Nadya’,
‘Chicago’, and ‘Carmine’. I’m sure
that they will be a success for both
Christmas and Valentine’s Day.
Suasuque have them available as of
2009,” concludes Vélez.
Greens give a new
horizon
Being the largest supplier of fresh
cut flowers to the USA and the
second largest exporter of fresh cut
flowers in the world, Colombia has
more than 7,500 ha of greenhouses,
mostly located along the Bogotá
plateau, Rionegro, the coffee growing belt and the Valle del Cauca
regions. With an estimated 2,500 to
3,000 ha, roses are by far the most
important crop. But not the first
crop. In the 1970s, carnations and
chrysanthemums were the main
flowers; followed by roses, alstroemeria, lilies gerberas, hydrangeas
and later on, by filler flowers such as
The grower company Ecplise received the
Best Stand Award.
VKC’s finest hour
18
Proflora’s trial judging, the so-called Concurso Técnico aims
to encourage the breeding and production of new varieties.
Gerard de Wagt from the Permanent Judging Committee VKC
coordinated the trial judging and unveiled the overall winners in the categories Breeders and Producers.
De Wagt expressed his satisfaction with the record number
of 63 participating companies totalling 401 entries. “An
amazing number given the current economic situation. The
presented varieties were excellent. The breeders showed
their ongoing effort in innovation. And innovation counts,”
said De Wagt.
In the section Breeders the jury has named Royal van Zanten
with its new red Alstroemeria ‘Nadya’ as the recipient of
the Proflora Concurso Técnico Award. FlorAndina with
its green Hydrangea macrophylla Kiwi took first prize in
the Producer’s section. “The producers did a terrific job,
bringing in a wide assortment of species including some
very interesting products like lily, hydrangea, delphinium
and cut greens, which shows that Colombia is more than
roses and carnations. In roses we would like to mention the
old English garden rose, which is offering lots of marketing
possibilities,” concluded De Wagt.
Diana Baena Botera expresses FlorAndina’s gratitude for
being awarded the Proflora first prize. “This price honours
our effort, from the farms to all our loyal clients. We are
proud to carry products that have the best quality and with
the best characteristics for the market. This award is not
only a point of recognition for FlorAndina, but the for the
entire Colombian flower industry offering the best, fresh cut
flowers.”
Theo van de Krocht of Royal van Zanten, winner of the Proflora
Concurso Técnico Award in the Breeder category.
Pablo Hernández Ramírez of FlorAndina, winner of the Proflora
Concurso Técnico Award in the Producer category.
A large number of modern rose varieties from leading international breeding companies were on show at Proflora.
International floral design show
limonium and asters. More recently
cut greens were added to the assortment of Colombia grown ornamentals. Carlos Eduardo Castro Florián
is general manager of the 200 ha
Rumhora farm in Vereda Puente
Piedra. Producing a wide assortment of greens, for example, ruscus,
pandamus, cordyline, ligustrum and
photinia, according to the Florverde
standards, Rumhora is looking to
expand its market in European
countries like Spain and Germany.
The American market is already
established with Costa Rica as the
major supplier.
Established in the 1990s on the high
plateau of Tequendama, Cundinamarca, Greenco produces one
million stems per month coming in
more than 20 varieties in the open
ground and under shade nets. The
company represents an alliance of
eight growers covering together
200 ha of greens like coculus, palm
leaves, eucalyptus and ruscus.
International floral designers from left to right: Takashi Hirata,
Gunnar Kaj, Nadine Weckardt and Colombia’s Jorge Mahe.
Debut for CSR Pavilion
and Matchmaking Forum
The trade show floor also made
space for two new entries, both
making their debut at Proflora. First,
the Corporate Social Responsibility
Pavilion, which was coordinated by
Asocolflores, gave an overview of the
joint efforts made by the Colombian
flower industry for workers’ welfare
and the safeguarding of the environment. Backed by the Cundinamarca
Governor’s Office the pavilion
>>>
Three international floral designers showed their talent with Colombian flowers
at Proflora. Asocolflores’ Augusto Solano Meija indicated that the aim is to show
Colombians what international florists are able to do with one of the country’s most
important export products.
Sweden was represented by Gunnar Kaj, responsible over the past eight years for
the Stockholm Nobel Banquet floral arrangements: “I do not work directly with
Colombian exporters, so I am not always aware of to which extent flowers I buy
from importers at the Stockholm wholesale market are Colombian. I found the show
to be professional and quite impressive with a great range of exhibitors. There was
a very friendly atmosphere.”
Germany’s Master Florist, European and German Floral Design and Florists Champion, and FDF Judge (Association of German Florists), Nadine Weckardt, presented
her creations fashioned from Colombian flowers.
And from Japan, came Takashi Hirata, whose work is rooted in traditional flower
arrangements from the Land of the Rising Sun, one of the biggest importers of
Colombian flowers.
19
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.
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by Hans de Vries
Dust
Six months,
Ten days
Colombia’s biggest:
Founded in 1968
Sunburst is currently the largest
solely owned
flower grower in
Colombia with 500
ha of flower production of which
150 ha is roses.
Apart from roses
Sunburst produces
30 other types
of cut flowers in
more than 500
varieties. Having
its own meristem
laboratory the
company prepares
its own disease
free propagation
material. Sunburst
is focused on
wholesale florists
and retail. An
undisrupted cool
chain is part of the
company’s welloiled logistics
system.
housed the partners with whom
Asocolflores is working with in the
field of social and environmental
projects.
Second is the Matchmaking Forum,
which was a huge success. Backed by
Proexport Colombia, Asocolflores
and the Corferias Exhibition Centre,
Proflora’s first matchmaking forum
attracted 117 international buyers
from countries like the Argentina,
Czech Republic, Canada, France,
Germany, Holland, Japan, Spain,
United Kingdom and the United
States.
According to Alberto Lora Aguancha, the match making forum
has already proven itself in others
sectors, like tourism and furniture,
to be a unique platform to find
new business partners and exchange
ideas. Lora Aguancha said that selecting buyers from Europe, within
Colombia’s market diversification
strategy, was a priority. Similarly, he
saw high demand and recognition
for Colombian flowers in the Asian
market.
Proexport expects to generate
around 800 commercial meetings.
As a result of these, there are hopes
for 40 million dollars of business
a year. The greatest interest among
the foreign buyers attending the
fair was seen in traditional flowers
such as roses, carnations and spray
chrysanthemums, as well as in exotic
flowers, foliage and bouquets.
Between January and July 2009,
the fresh flowers sector topped
596.9 million dollars in sales. Fresh
roses were the main export product
(36.9%), which represented 220
million dollars in exports. The USA
(78%) is Colombia’s largest export
market followed by Russia (5%),
United Kingdom (4%), Japan (2%),
Spain (2%), the Netherlands (2%),
Canada (2%), Germany (1%) and
others (4%). |||
“You are an example for us all, your role in the financial world is
impressive, you are a fantastic guy and I am proud of you.” These
flattering words were spoken by our Prime Minister six months ago
to one of his party members, Dirk; a self-made banker who built
his fortune by selling loans and insurance. In previous years he lost
money on the loans, but made up for it nicely by the enormous
profits he made on the sales of insurance policies.
A real hero he was, having built a brand new stadium for his privately owned soccer team, which became the Dutch champion last
year, and also paying for an ice skating team and sponsoring various
other sportsmen. On top of that, as he now belonged among the
rich, he opened his own art museum.
With the former Minister of Finance and other politicians on
his management team he ensured political back up. He did well,
couldn’t do better, or perhaps? A little better. In the heat of the
financial crisis, he suggested to play a leading role in the government
of our country as “the Netherlands needed his insights and brains
to help through this rough period”. All that was only six months
ago. Only fans? Not really. Some of his customers complained about
the ever rising interest; some could not pay for it anymore and were
forced to sell their houses, only to find themselves without a home,
but still with a sky high debt to Dirk. Left wondering how it all
could have happened this way. Why were they given a mortgage so
much higher than their house was worth? This practice of overfinancing, mainly to pay for the extra insurance’s sold, drew the
attention of consumer rights programs and several financial advisors
started to build their cases against the malpractices of this bank.
They had been working on it for years, but fighting a bank takes
guts, time and money.
Ten days ago a veteran accountant with a life long history of fighting
large companies fiddling the books, got fed up with this struggle
and decided on a different approach. In a morning TV show, hardly
watched, he stated “bankruptcy to be unavoidable” and he advised
clients to withdraw their money from this bank. He welcomed the
downfall as he trusted bankruptcy lawyers better than bank managers. The rest is history. As soon as the money starts to flow, a bank is
only good for several nights of exciting television and that’s it.
The trip from the top of the world to the slums took 10 days, or six
months, depending on when one starts counting. The consumer, and
sometimes one voice, can be deadly powerful if the targeted company has not been helpful to society and their customers, and has
behaved like a parasite. There is no place for this kind of business
anymore and their existence should not be allowed.
Hans de Vries is a grower
in Kudelstraat, the Netherlands.
hans@jdevries.nl
www.jdevries.nl
21
Cut Roses
In the third week of
October, the planting
of three rose varieties
at the Chekhov
Garden in Central
Russia, close to Tula
and 240 km south
of Moscow, signals
the completion of
the first phase of a
specialist cut rose
nursery project, which
aims to expand from
the initial 3 ha to 12
ha over a five-year
period.
Investors close
in on Moscow
S
by Anabel Evans
ix shareholders, five Russian and one Dutch, have
embarked on the production
of cut roses in a country where
the construction of a working
greenhouse system costs around
€300-€350/m2. The greenhouse and
fittings are standard: roof sprinklers,
a single energy screen, raised-gutters
to house the hydroponic (rockwool)
system and a cogeneration (combined heat and power, CHP) unit.
The costs have risen with the plans
to ensure adequate backup systems
for heating and the necessary farm
security measures. Marius Pakker,
business unit director at DLV Plant
in the Netherlands, is the Chekhov
Garden project manager. He says,
“During the planning stage we had
already made a decision to not take
any risks concerning the heating
of the greenhouse. The continental
climate means that we have to deal
with temperatures ranging from
minus 30°C up to 40°C. And since
the gas supply can be unreliable, our
backup diesel-fired boiler provides
an overcapacity to heat the greenhouses for a week. By law, Russian
companies are actually obliged to
have a backup system to cover their
requirements for a two-day period.”
For the investors, one of whom
owns the land and has an agricultural enterprise, the advantages are
still seen to outweigh the capital
costs. Pakker sums up the main
advantage in four words, “Close to
the market.” He has experience of
Moscow airport and says, “For flowers being imported by air, Moscow
airport lacks the know-how and
facilities to handle this temperature
sensitive cargo under either extreme
cold or warm conditions.” Other
advantages are: the gas price at 6-7
eurocent/m3; the monthly wages for
farm staff of around €375-€400;
and the farm prices for the cut roses
of 75-80 eurocent year round (at
least doubling in the run up to the
March 8 International Women’s
Day celebrations).
Russia and Holland grow2gether
Dutch horticulture relations with the Russian greenhouse sector are being further stimulated by
the grow2gether platform, established as a public-private initiative to provide structured solutions
from the Netherlands, and in support of, the Russian greenhouse sector. The cluster of more than
30 Dutch horti-business participants cover three main areas: knowledge transfer; technology
and technological solutions; and, trade infrastructure. In the grow2gether management team DLV
Plant is supported by the consortium partnering organization, Holland Flower Partners. The board
members comprise of different initiators and professionals active in the greenhouse sector. (www.
grow2gether.eu)
22
Staff role critical
Staff selection and training is a
key role of DLV Plant in this
project, as well as the planning of
the greenhouses and production
system, which was constructed by
Dalsem together with local building
contractors. “We have purposefully
employed a young team with the
management role during the first 18
months to two years being fulfilled
by an experienced Dutch grower,”
says Pakker. He does not dispute
the high academic qualifications
of experienced Russian horticulturalists, but during the selection
process, including training sessions
in the Netherlands, there was a strict
assessment of the willingness of the
agronomists and foremen to become
physically involved in the production activities. “There can be a
hesitancy, or general lack of responsibility, when it comes to hands-on
management,” Pakker says, “whereas
we want to develop a lean and mean
team where individuals are prepared
Photo: Sergey Faldin
to take full responsibility for their
specific tasks.” The manager and his
25 staff, which include the personnel in the office and the security
guards, will be supported by DLV
advisors.
Before analysing the Garden’s sales
strategy, there is another production
aspect in which Pakker hints at disappointment, namely the absence of
supply companies for local technical
support and services in relation to
sourcing plant material, substrates,
fertilisers and products for pest
and disease control. “Dalsem and
other greenhouse builders have been
involved in more than 10 other
high-tech turnkey projects in Russia,
and yet the supply industry is still
not visibly providing professional
services,” says Pakker.
Pakker is aware that the economic
downturn has led to the postponement of some earlier supply industry
projects planned in Russia, but he is
pleased that at least the Bartels Joint
Venture involving rose propagation
facilities and a product show house
is going ahead, with the opening
expected in Spring 2010.
Selected varieties
The rose plant varieties chosen for
the Chekhov Garden are Red Naomi!, Avalanche+ and Talea+, plus a
small area of Tinto. Pakker explains,
“We have deliberately planted only
three varieties, all selected on the
basis of their big flower bud, high
productivity and high demand; the
red, white and champagne coloured
roses are the most popular colours in
the Russian market.” The production departments are divided in
two, red and coloured (white and
champagne), with the reds occupying 50% of the planted area.
The name Chekhov Garden, which
aims to raise emotions among
consumers of the celebrated Russian
writer Anton Chekhov (1860-1904)
and the Rose Garden marking
his birthplace, and the choice of
modern rose varieties departs from
farm name traditions and the poorer
quality of older varieties commonly
seen in Russian greenhouses. Pakker
comments, “Wholesalers control
the Russian market, channelling
the flower sales to the predominant
small market stalls and a number
of retail chain stores. Our marketing strategy aims to create name
recognition for the quality and long
vase life of our varieties. This will
be a challenge since it is the giving
of flowers that is most important in
Russia; many consumers are satisfied
with a vase life of 5-7 days, which is
considered normal.”
“Still, Russia has a low level of
self-sufficiency in flowers and we are
only four driving hours from a huge
consumption centre. And, if flowers
ever receive the same level of subsidies as the vegetable sector (66% rebate on interest rates) in connection
with Prime Minister Putin’s target of
100% self sufficiency by 2015, the
opportunities for investors to close
in on Moscow and other population
centres such as St. Petersburg and
Samara will only increase.” |||
23
Iberflora, Valencia
Optimism and a
proactive attitude
are the way to face
the current crisis.
These were the main
ideas underlying the
proposals made at
this year’s edition of
Iberflora, held from
October 14-16, 2009
in Valencia, Spain.
Broadening business
in internal and
external markets
I
by Dr Miguel Merino Pacheco
(miguel@
floracultureinternational.com)
berflora is the main Spanish
show for ornamental plants
and one of the leaders Europewide. It has just celebrated its 38th
edition with 400 exhibitors; 25%
of them from abroad. The new
president of the show, Vicente Peris
Alcayde, an energetic and optimistic person with a long experience in
the Spanish ornamental industry,
acknowledges that the crisis has
reduced the stand area and the
number of exhibitors at the show,
but much less than had been previously feared.
Presently the industry is facing what
is probably the most serious crisis
in its history. The home market
for ornamentals is suffering from
a significant drop in demand, led
by the downturn of the building
industry, the main customer for trees
and garden plants. Private consumption, on the other hand, is holding
steady and there are also big hopes
placed on external markets. A very
restrictive credit policy on the side
of the banks has also damaged the
financing of the current season for
the growers, states Peris Alcayde.
Vicente Peris
Alcayde, Iberflora’s
president, addresses the press
at the opening
ceremony.
24
Actions underway
The Iberflora team, working closely
with growers and traders, are facing the crisis with confidence and
renewed energy. The authorities
at Iberflora are perfectly conscious
of the difficulties and have taken
concrete steps to make it easier
for exhibitors to attend, including
special offers for exhibition space
and organizing “all round packages”
for its customers. The presence of
foreign buyers and opinion leaders
has been promoted with considerable success.
The present edition of Iberflora
was, as usual, primarily a showcase
for the Spanish nursery industry.
The presence of the Spanish regions
is the backbone of the show. Some
of them with their traditional
products: Catalonia with its trees
and garden and bedding plants; Valencia/Alicante with its palm trees
and other Mediterranean products;
Andalucia with its subtropical
tendencies; the Canary Islands with
more exotic variations; Galicia with
its Atlantic touch. The variation of
the Spanish supply astounds the
visitors.
Regarding plant supply, the
Italian nurseries are also present
in strength. This fact shows the
strong commercial interrelationships between Italian and Spanish
nurseries: both are customers and
suppliers of each other at the same
time, depending on the stage of
development of the plants.
The technology section is where the
difficult situation of the industry
and of the economy at large is more
easily felt. It is no secret to anyone
that the majority of horticultural
technology suppliers – except for
plastic greenhouses – are foreign
companies and their subsidiaries.
Presently, these are the ones that do
not seem very optimistic. Nevertheless, the (relatively) small numbers
of Spanish suppliers to the nursery
industry, conscious of the difficult
situation in the home market, are
drawing the obvious conclusion
that it is necessary to compete
abroad. Expect to see more Spanish
technology companies offering their
products in the European markets in
the months to come.
DIY focus
One of the main lines of work for
the present edition of Iberflora is
to support market developments.
Iberflora is revamping its traditional
garden show style to integrate garden “Do It Yourself” activities. The
decision, explains Esteban Cuesta
Nohales, director of the show, means
that Ibeflora is adding gardening
DIY and accessories for pets as
permanent features. Iberflora could
even evolve from a garden show to
a full blooded DIY exhibition. The
pet sector, represented for the first
time at Iberflora, for instance, generates €1,300 million of sales in Spain
and is growing steadily.
The almost simultaneous celebration of the new event “Eurobrico
Meeting Point”, a mixture of a one
day seminar featuring analysts for
the DIY industry and buyers/sellers
meetings, is an important attempt
to integrate plant supply into the
sights of the above mentioned “do
it yourself” industry. The idea is to
stimulate suppliers and institutional
buyers to work together more closely
in the future.
The second line of action taken by
Iberflora’s authorities is a clearer
orientation towards external markets
and buyers. With the Spanish
economy muddling through the
economic downturn, answers should
be sought outside the country’s
borders, where recovery seems to be
closer. The authorities and most of
the participants of Iberflora have a
clear understanding of this fact and
further efforts regarding external
trade are to be expected.
Institutional action in this direction
is also on its way. The recently
signed agreement between Iberflora
and the umbrella organization for
the industry (Fepex) shows the will
to coordinate efforts both within
and outside national borders. Fepex
is the acronym for “Spanish Federation of Growers and Exporters of
Horticultural Products”. This
cooperation aims to promote the
presence of Iberflora abroad.
Other parallel programs have also
been reinforced at the show with
conferences and seminars centred
on areas of activity closely related
to landscaping and the plant world
which have not been directly involved with Iberflora previously, for
example, the forestry industry.
As a whole, the policy of Iberflora is
to broaden the business basis of all
sectors involved and to promote the
development of new areas, both at
home and abroad, in order to counteract the present difficult situation.
Judging from the results this policy
is already bearing fruit. |||
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www.pothosplant.nl r info@pothosplant.nl
International Events
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
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
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
14 to 16. United States
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
CENTS 2010, Central Environmental Nursery Trade Show,
Greater Columbus Convention
Centre, Ohio. Ohio Nursery and
Landscape Association,
cents@onla.org; www.onla.org
26 to 29. Germany
IPM Essen, Essen,
T (49) 201 7244 0;
F (49) 201 7244 248;
www.ipm-messe.de
February 2010
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
3 to 5. Germany
Fruit Logistica, Messe Berlin,
Messedamm 22, D-14055 Berlin;
T (49) 30 3038-0;
F (49) 30 3038-2325;
central@messe-berlin.de
5 to 7. Italy
Plantarum aetnae, Sicily. Confcommercio Catania, Via Mandrà
8 - 95124 Catania.
T (34) 095 351253;
F (34) 095 356211; info@
expomediterranea.it;
www.plantarumaetnae.com
16 to 18. France
Salon du Végétal, Angers.
T (33) 2 41 79 14 17;
F (33) 2 41 45 29 05;
salon@bhr-vegetal.com;
www.salonduvegetal.com
24 to 28. The Netherlands
Holland Flowers Festival,
Centrale Markt 5, 1681 NT
Zwaagdijk-Oost (Municipality
of Wervershoof ).
T (31) 228 511644;
F (31) 228 516130;
info@hollandflowersfestival.nl;
www.hollandflowersfestival.nl
March 2010
2 to 3. Belgium
Florall Spring Fair, Flanders Expo,
Ghent. T (32) 9 241 5091;
F (32) 9 241 5095;
info@florall.be; www.florall.be
6 to 15. Taiwan
TIOS 2010 Taiwan International
Orchid Show, Tainan County.
www.toga.org.tw
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
11 to 14. Portugal
ExpoJardim, Batalha.
T (351)244 76 94 80;
F (351) 244 76 74 89; info@
exposalao.pt; www.exposalao.pt
18 to May 16. The Netherlands
Keukenhof Holland, Lisse.
T (31) 252 465 555;
F (31) 252 465 565;
info@keukenhof.nl;
www.keukenhof.nl
19 to 21. Slovenia
13th Flora Fair, Celje.
T (386) 3 54 33 000;
F (386) 3 54 19 164;
info@ce-sejem.si;
www.ce-sejem.si
European Pack Trials.
www.fleuroselect.com
May 2010
23 to 9. Korea
15th Goyang Korea Flower Show,
Ilsan Lake Park, Goyang City.
www.flower.or.kr
25 to 29. United Kingdom
RHS Chelsea Flower Show,
Royal Hospital, Chelsea, London. www.rhs.org.uk
June 2010
Flower Trials 2010, Aalsmeer
and Westland Regions.
www.flowertrials.nl
25th Anniversary Edition of the
Annual Seeley Conference, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
T (1) 607 255 1789; seeleyconference@cornell.edu; www.hort.
cornell.edu/seeleyconference
July 2010
OFA Short Course, Columbus,
Ohio.
T (1) 614 487 1117;
F (1) 614 487 1216; ofa@ofa.org;
www.ofa.org
24 to 26. Kenya
Hortec 2010, Kenyatta International Conference Center, Nairobi.
T (31) 20 662 2482;
F (31) 20 675 2326;
melvin@hpp.nl; www.hpp.nl
18 to 24. Italy
CEJH 51st Congress ‘Sicily:
Green, Sweet and Salt’, Marsala, Sicily. Further information:
European Community of Young
Horticulturists (CEJH), Rudy
Casati T (39) 339 6249939; Annajole Tonelli T (39) 340 7025285
framemakers@tin.it; Fabiano
Oldani T (39) 340 4822121;
Giovanni Bonardi
T (39) 335 6144124.
April 2010
August 2010
8 to 11. Kazakhstan
Hortiflowers Kazakhstan,
Almaty.
T (31) 20 662 2482;
F (31) 20 675 2326; melvin@
hpp.nl; www.hpp.nl
22 to 27. Portugal
28th International Horticulture
Congress (IHC), Lisbon. Under
the auspices of the International Society for Horticultural
Science; www.ihc2010.org
California Spring Trials (previously
called Pack Trials). www.ngb.org
Plantarium, Boskoop.
T (31) 172 235 400;
F (31) 172 235 450; info@
plantarium.nl;
www.plantarium.nl
14 to 17. China
Hortiflorexpo China, Beijing
Exhibition Center.
T (86) 21 62956677
8367/2131/2132;
F (86) 21 62780038;
intexcl@sh163.net/
intexljs@sh163.net;
www.hortiflorexpo.com
27
World News
IPM China, where horticulture meets
IPM China 2009, the leading horticulture
trade show in China, has entered the intense
preparation phase with December 1st, the day
the show begins, drawing close. It is delightful
to see that exhibitors are showing a positive
mood by taking part. More than 248 companies
will participate in this year’s edition,
showcasing fresh flowers, indoor plants,
garden plants, nursery stock, floral products
and horti-technology. The Netherlands will set
up an impressive country pavilion. Denmark,
America, Italy, Spain and other countries will
also be represented by a record number of
companies. The 10,600 visitors invited to join
the trade show will find the main focus is more
on business than on a glittering show.
28
When asked about IPM China’s main charm, Peter
Wang, manager of the organizing committee
answers that the show is located in Guangdong
province, the biggest central market in China:
capable of sharing capital resources, modern traffic
and logistics networks, and the newest information.
Besides, here is the most important haven for lucky
bamboos, mini to giant sized bonsais as well as
horti-materials to be imported and exported.
Based on a reliable research survey of the floral
market in Guangdong (China, 2007), the export
volume of plants and flowers is up to 26.86 million,
while import volumes are 18 million. With the
flower buying habits of Chinese people to celebrate
the spring festival, Guangdong is a big consumption
market of phalaenopsis, anthodium, poinsettia and
cymbidiums together with fresh cut flowers, lucky
bamboos and other plants. Nowhere else will you
find this huge market for business and promotion,
Peter Wang adds.
As the main committee organizer of IPM China,
the World of Flower (WOF) is proud to be the
leading horticulture plantation in China, owning
600 companies in up to 40 countries and areas
such as Taiwan, Korea, Japan, the USA, Germany
etc. What’s more, WOF has reached a common
understanding with the Danish company, Container
Centralen, to establish a Chinese domestic system:
the promise is to offer the best service to deliver
your products around the world. – Yana Gan
www.ipm-china.com.cn. |||
Already full,
Growtech Fair
in Turkey
The 9th GrowTech Eurasia International Horticulture, Agriculture,
Floriculture and Technologies Fair arouses huge interest among
both local and international arenas. The fair, to be organized
from December 3-6, 2009 at Antalya Expo Center by NTSR Fair
Organizations, has reached over 90% occupancy rate. Despite
the global financial crisis, 256 companies from 21 countries have
signed participation contracts: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, China,
Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Iran, Israel,
Italy, Jordan, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, United
Arab Emirates, UK and USA.
Serkan Tığlıoğlu, general manager NTSR Fair Organizations,
expressed that Growtech will provide a great contribution to the
Turkish economy and agriculture sector. Stating that the fair will
offer the opportunity for direct sale and face-to-face negotiations,
Tığlıoğlu was quoted as saying: “The exhibitors will reach a wide
customer group within four days during the fair. They will have
the chance to bilaterally negotiate with investors and agricultural
institutions. Not only will they present their latest products but
also they will increase the sale rates of their company through
marketing, publicity and other activities. Furthermore, they will be
offered the opportunity to delegate agency and representatives
in the local and international arena out of professional visitors
participating in the fair.”
Growtech Eurasia, the most comprehensive agriculture fair of
the Middle East and Eastern Europe, will take place in an area
of 15,000 m2. Sector representatives will share their knowledge
and experience through activities organized concurrently with
the fair. The main theme of the seminars this year is “Financial
Resources in Agriculture”. The sector’s need for finance will be
laid on the table thoroughly. In this context sample projects will
be shared. Additionally alternative projects and opportunities for
grant, credit, support, incentive, exportation and importation will
be discussed. State-of-the-art agricultural applications will be
presented. ‘Growtech Eurasia 2009 Agriculture Awards’ will meet
their new owners; the awards will be presented in the categories
of ‘Innovation’ and ‘Greenhouse Technologies’ both in local and
international segments.
An exhibitor profile of the fair encompasses a wide variety of
sectors from undercover agriculture, cut flowers, greenhouse
technologies, seed cultivation, fertilizers to modern fruit
production, seedling cultivation, landscape architecture, irrigation
systems, agricultural pesticide, project designing and packaging.
Producers, exporters, importers and certification institutions from
the organic agriculture sector will also take part. |||
www.growtecheurasia.com
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Letters
Letters, of up to 250 words, send to:
Horti Fair
The Horti Fair has traditionally been the natural meeting point
for growers, breeders and clients from all over the world. We
could all easily get contacts with hundreds of companies in
dozens of countries where we would never think of travelling
to. But now we see the role of Horti Fair disappearing rapidly
in regards to the floricultural world since they changed the
dates from November to October. We see now some breeders
not exhibiting and other breeders diminishing their stands
substantially. Growers not attending.
The decision of the FloraHolland management to change the
dates of the FloraHolland Trade Fair Aalsmeer (back) to the
first week of November suddenly puts the Horti Fair even more
in jeopardy. But, the scope of the Aalsmeer Fair is still much
more national than international oriented. Only their own
members will have their private national show for the clients
of the auction. A clear loss for the international projection of
Holland. The IPM Essen is not the solution either as it’s dates
are not adequate for the flower trade in the world, as they fall
right when Valentine’s Day takes place.
We fear now that the weakness that Horti Fair is showing will
result in less opportunities for the third world and the producer
countries, and much higher costs because we will need to
travel to more fairs to achieve lesser results.
Ignacio Pérez Arteta
Executive president, Expoflores
RFID
RFID implementation on CC Containers is still moving full
steam ahead! The implementation of RFID in the horticultural
industry is an ongoing project that is supported by a range of
major stakeholders in the market. During the upcoming labelling action, “Operation Chip It”, all 3.5 m CC Containers will
receive new identification tags - this time with built-in RFID.
The cut-off date for the use of “untagged” CC Containers was
originally set to February 1, 2010, but in response to requests
for more time from the market, the cut-off date has been
postponed to November 1, 2010.
The decision to defer the cut-off date was made to accommodate the industry, which is usually under a lot of pressure
in the time leading up to the peak season. This will allow
the CC Container users to prepare their organisations out
of the peak season, where there will be more time for both
the tagging operation itself, but also for the training of staff,
equipment acquisition, and introduction of new procedures.
All CC Container customers will receive information regarding
the labelling operation directly from Container Centralen, and
can even sign up to receive online news and updates on www.
operation-chip-it.com/subscribe.
by Jaap N. Kras
Horticulture Trade Fairs
How to see the trees through the bushes?
In August we had the Plantarium in Boskoop the Netherlands. Then in September there was the
Russian Flower show in Moscow, the Four Oaks in the UK, the Flormart Miflor in Padua Italy, the
Naivasha Horticultural Fair in Kenya and the Proflora in Bogota. In October, trade fairs were held in
Anaheim USA (PMA Fresh Summit), India (Int. Landscape and Gardening Exposition), the Netherlands (Horti Fair and FloraHolland Trade Fair) and Spain (Iberflora).
In November the IFEX takes place in Tokyo, Japan. Early December you can visit the IPM China in
Foshan and the Growtech in Antalya, Turkey. In January we continue with fairs in Tel Aviv Israel, the
TPIE in Lauderdale USA and the IPM Essen in Germany.
In six months 17 important horticulture trade fairs.
And then this exhibition tour continues in February in Berlin with the Fruit Logistica, Angers France
with the Salon du Végétal and, the annual Flower Fair on Sicily Italy. In March the Florall Spring Fair
in Belgium and the Floralies Gent, the Taiwan International Orchid Show in Tainan, the IPM Dubai, the World Floral Expo in Miami USA and, the Hortec in Nairobi Kenya. In April the Hortiflor
Expo Beijing China and the Goyang Korea Flower Show in S-Korea.
Trade fairs are held throughout the whole year. Nearly every country in the world has either bigger
or smaller horticulture exhibitions. New fairs come, fairs grow in importance, decline or, in the end,
disappear. FloraCulture International visits the most important ones. Our columnists also give their
opinions on this phenomenon, or explain why they don’t visit a fair; see William Armellini, Kerry
Herndon, Leaora Policar in our October issue.
One thing is for sure it is impossible to participate in all these fairs. The costs incurred are too
high for breeders, traders and other horticulture suppliers. I think that for a general impression,
important events are the IPM Essen, Horti Fair, Proflora and Hortiflorexpo China. If you have
specific interests in products or countries, visit the relevant specialist shows. Every month we give an
overview in our International Events calendar (and still miss shows!).
Relevant cut flower trade fairs can be found in Colombia, Ecuador, Miami, Holland, Russia and
Kenya. Those with specific interests in plants visit the fairs in Italy, Belgium, Holland, Florida,
Taiwan and Spain. Those who are interested in horticulture technology should visit the Horti Fair.
Learn about Asia through the IPM China Foshan, the Hortiflorexpo China in Beijing and the
Goyan Korea Flower Show. On the W-Asian side travel to Turkey and Israel.
Supermarket sales? Go to the Fruit Logistica in Germany and/or the PMA in the USA.
You can rank these shows in terms of the number of (claimed) trade visitors or number of participants or even think of cleverer criteria. But I’ll give you my personal ranking, let us say the Top 6:
IPM Essen, Horti Fair, Proflora, Hortiflorexpo Beijing, Miflor Padua and the Salon du Végétal.
And as plants, bedding plants and nursery stock follow the garden into the house/patio and vice
versa as one integrated living area, plants will be more important than cut flowers: the plant shows
simultaneously growing in importance.
Susanne Arnsted
Container Centralen, Denmark
Jaap N. Kras
jaap@floracultureinternational.com
31
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STÅL & PLAST a-s
Industrivej 19 . DK-5750 Ringe
Telefon +45 62 62 12 16 . Fax +45 62 62 36 11
12 ~ 15 October 2010
World News
Letters
Letters, of up to 250 words, send to:
Jan Meijer, co-owner and managing director of Lutgo
Global and Tobias Dümmen, CEO of Dümmen/Red Fox.
Finding the right fit
Lutgo Global is a leading recruitment
agency which caters for both permanent
and contract markets in the worldwide
horticulture industry. The company
prides itself on the ability to build long
term relationships with its clients and
candidates, which can weather any kind
of economic situation. German breeder
Dümmen has very good experiences in
sending job orders to Lutgo Global.
Jan Meijer, co-owner and managing director
of Lutgo Global and Tobias Dümmen, CEO
of Dümmen/ Red Fox met each other at Horti
Fair 2007 and since then Lutgo Global has
completed five placements for the company. “At
first I had the usual prejudices against recruitment consultancies of taking lots of money and
giving nothing in return, but then Jan Meijer
uttered an important phrase: no cure no pay,”
commented Tobias Dümmen.
Lutgo Global offers a three months guarantee
that if the selected candidate doesn’t work out
the client will receive 50% of the commission back and the agency will find a replacement candidate free of charge. When this new
candidate does perform satisfactorily for longer
than three months, the 50% is being returned
to Lutgo Global. “That’s how Lutgo Global has
built up an enviable reputation in the horticulture industry, making us the first port of call
for both job seekers and recruiters alike,” says
Meijer. Being aware that 90% of the failures
that occur in the workplace are not the result of
an absence of skills, but rather due to an incompatibility of the employee vis-a vis the corporate
culture, Lutgo resigns itself to endlessly searching for that right fit between employee and
corporation. “Pre-screening is the key to success.
In international recruitment we have to dig even
deeper by questioning the candidate about his
family situation, his expectations.”
The Aalsmeer-based agency has to deal with certain Western perceptions. Countries like Ethiopia
have made huge progress in regards to tackling
poverty, but many people still view this country
as the famine consumed nation that dominated
the TV in the 80s. “If an agreement is reached
between the candidate and the employer, the
candidate is invited for an orientation trip. Walking around the farm, seeing the residential area,
candidates (and their family) feel most quickly at
ease. There is something called Africa addiction.
Once you have it, you’ll never get rid of it”, says
Meijer.
Founded in 1962, Dümmen is a breeder and
young plant producer of bedding plants, covering 600,000m2 of greenhouse constructions in
Germany, Italy, Costa Rica. El Salvador and also
Ethiopia. Tobias Dümmen: “When it’s their
first time working abroad, people look very
carefully to the company’s reputation. Dümmen
is a company that can give them a real sense of
security. When people are becoming really ill for
example, we directly fly them back to Europe.”
Lutgo Global has a database with over 3,000
candidates for middle and higher management positions and specialists. Even in times of
economic downturn, the demand for qualified
personnel is consistent, ensures Dümmen.
“Abroad there are always jobs available. We
have currently different vacancies in Ethiopia
and Italy. In my experience demand is still very
high.”
The news for the moment is that Lutgo
Global, Green Q and PTC+ have joined
forces in Triangle Agribusiness, combining
long standing expertise in greenhouse
production methods, competence building,
education, recruitment and the teambuilding
of experienced management. Services include
feasibility reports for new horti projects; courses
at various management levels for greenhouse
environments; and job recruitment. “Triangle
Agribusiness is the only agency thinking in 360
degrees. Thanks to this new partnership we were
already able to contribute to the realization of
two large greenhouse projects in Greece and
South Korea with 50 ha of vegetables each,”
concludes Jan Meijer. |||
Branding
I was recently reading what turned out to
be an old edition of FCI. It was from April
’04, but before I discovered that I was
fishing in a dated pond, I came across an
article from our very own Dutch Comfort
author Mr Jaap Kras. In it he talks about
branding and why no other flower name
has been so popular as Baccara. With the
benefit of five years behind us, I think we
have a new rose that has excelled over
the famous Baccara. Freedom! And this
is a wonderful example of branding that
bucked the trend. Freedom began as a
rose from Rosen Tantau named Bloody
Mary, but despite its attractive look and
growing qualities it did not sell very well.
I am not sure who changed the name
exactly but whoever did, hit the mark. I
suggest that the Freedom rose is the most
planted red rose variety in South America.
It has become the red rose of choice
for growers, wholesalers, retailers and
consumers alike. So there is a way.
William Armellini
Greenleaf Wholesale Sourcing,
USA
Naivasha
In the last few years the Municipal
Council of Naivasha (MCN) tried to
impose a cess on all horticultural products
for export grown in their jurisdiction. The
Kenya Flower Council and Lake Naivasha
Growers Group (LNGG) have always found
a way to prevent this as it was considered
outside of the stated laws. However,
the growers accepted that the inflow of
horticultural workers and associated industrial activity within the Municipality has
created stresses on the MCN resources.
Therefore, LNGG started discussions with
the Council to assist them voluntarily in
their developmental activities.
This resulted in a memorandum of
understanding (MOU) which was signed
on Wednesday, 21st of October 2009 at
the Naivasha Sports Club. It is a huge step
forward in cooperation and understanding
between local authorities and the horticulture sector in Naivasha, and hopefully
the rest of the country. (More info on the
lead up to the MOU can be found in our
newsletter http://www.lngg.org/newsletters.htm)
Sunita Sarkar
Executive Officer LNGG
33
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Online
Beekenkamp Plants to intensify cooperation with Gasa Young Plants
MAASDIJK and ODENSE: Gasa Young Plants has been cooperating with
Florema Young Plants for many years. After Beekenkamp Plants’ takeover
of Florema, both companies have decided to intensify their cooperation.
The intensified cooperation will lead to many major advantages for both
businesses and provides the opportunity to boost their common market
position in tropical plants, begonia, cyclamen, dahlia, impatiens, perennials
and bedding plants. The partnership will mainly affect trade in Denmark,
Sweden and Norway, but Gasa will also supply in other European countries
with Beekenkamp products.
Dekker Chrysanten to invest in new breeding company
HENSBROEK: On October 12, 2009 Dekker Chrysanten, a leading breeder
of chrysanthemums unveiled its ambitious plans to build a new breeding
division in Hensbroek. The 3 million building will include a 22,000 m2
breeding department to maintain and develop a premium quality stock of
mother plants as well as new offices and a state-of-the-art research centre.
The decision to invest in new building has been taken on a moment the
Dutch floriculture sector faces one of its worst recessions ever. According
to Dekker’s managing director, Cees Dekker, the new premises could be
described as an anti-cyclic investment. “Chrysanthemum growers are
facing hard times. By creating new exclusive, pest resistant varieties with
good yield we do our utmost to help our customers.” The new building will
implement many of the latest technologies such as cameras and robots to be
as efficient as possible. It also will help to increase Dekker’s market share in
a relatively new segment: the breeding of disbudded chrysanthemums.
Lazzeri Italy announces its annual open days
MERANO: Lazzeri, a leading plant breeder and propagator with premises
in Merano and Sabaudia is opening its doors on 5-7 November 2009, giving
the industry professionals the opportunity to see inside one of Italy’s
largest young plant nurseries. In the 3,000 m2 greenhouse at the Merano
headquarters growers, landscapers, retailers, students and journalists can
compare 300 varieties of cyclamen, 50 varieties of poinsettia (with several
exclusive novelties) and 150 varieties of pot chrysanthemum grown both
outdoors and in greenhouses. The new pink Princettia poinsettia from
Suntory along with Morel’s new Tianis cyclamen will certainly steal the
show.
New secretariat for the Commercial Horticultural Association
BRASTED: The UK Commercial Horticultural Association is to have a new
secretariat. From 1 November 2009, the administration of the association
passes to The Federation of Garden and Leisure Manufacturers, whose
headquarters are in Brasted, Kent. The handover coincides with the
retirement of the managers of the current secretariat, CHA secretary Chris
Wood and Peter Grimbly. Stuart Booker, who manages much of the day-today business of the CHA is to stay in office. He will continue to operate from
Stoneleigh Park and be the first point of contact for members, so as far as
they are concerned, the transition should be virtually seamless.
Armada obtains exclusive sales rights of Nachtvlinder asters
DE LIER: Dutch breeding company Armada has obtained worldwide
exclusive sales rights of Aster varieties from De Nachtvlinder in Ter Aar, the
Netherlands. There will also be a close cooperation on the breeding of new
aster varieties for cut flower production and for pot plant production.
Miami
Bogotá
Since I had the pleasure of attending this year’s Proflora show in Bogotá,
Colombia, I have some thoughts about what I saw. First of all I applaud
Asocoflores for changing the venue to Bogotá. Cartagena is a superb
location, but as a million people have said “been there done that!”
If you have never been to Bogotá I recommend that you go, even if you
are not in the flower business. It is the most contemporary city I know,
and now that it is much, much safer than years past, you can really enjoy
the country.
It is a big city and it comes with all of the good and bad that hang over
any big city, like the smell of good food and the choking stench of bus
exhaust. There is always lots of activity with people on the street day and
night and many great places to eat. Colombia is not necessarily known
for its cuisine and in many restaurants, the decoration, design and attention to detail out shine the food.
The show was, as expected, full of eager sales representatives in various
forms; large men and mostly pretty women seeking out those radiant
“BUYER” badges. Tracking down the intended prey and checking them
off their list of “must find’s”.
Many people asked me if I saw anything new and I have to say not really. Sure there were some new yellow and pink roses and other beautiful
flowers but these days it takes more that a large petal count to stir my
thoughts.
What I did see were lots of old friends and for me that was worth the
trip. It reminds me of how long I have been in this business and while
that does cause some reflection it puts this business in perspective for
me. We are for better or worse a chef salad of flower people, from all
over the world, tossed into this bowl that we call the flower industry.
Good and passionate people with whom I have had the pleasure to meet
over many years. What more does life offer than good friendship and
good food? Ok, there are more things but go with me on this.
Of course we made the required early morning “hangover” trips to the
farms where managers insist on walking every greenhouse and pointing
out the most intricate details of growing and translated into English by
our host. All of this adds to the tour at a time when altitude, Aguadiente
and coffee are about to begin a samba in your head. But in the interest
of good behaviour and sincerity you move on and fondle a few rose
heads to show off your flower knowledge. Why do we squeeze rose
heads like the cheeks of a baby anyway?
Finally I would like to make a recommendation to the good folks
at Asocoflores. Bogotá is a great place for a show for all of the right
reasons. The farms are close by, the entire staffs of the companies are
accessible, the cost is less for the growers and they get to show off their
companies and their city. However, there are other gems in Colombia,
Medellin being one and Cartagena another, so why not rotate between
the three.
William Armellini has been in the floral industry
since birth and works for Greenleaf Sourcing in
Miami. william@floracultureinternational.com
www.greenleafwholesale.com.
35
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Online
NZ biosecurity officials announce tightening inspection procedures
PATUMAHOE: New Zealand flower growers are concerned about the threat
of new pests entering their country on cut flower imports. But a meeting
with senior biosecurity officials has given them some reassurance that
import inspection procedures will be tightened, reported Radio New Zealand
recently. The New Zealand Flower Growers’ Association (NZFGA) says its
fears have mounted since the volume of flower imports started to grow
rapidly two years ago, especially roses from India. Chairman David Blewden
says that they have the potential to carry plant pests and diseases, which
could survive New Zealand conditions and become established here. Alarm
grew when growers discovered that import procedures were not being
properly followed. Blewden says Biosecurity New Zealand has responded
to some of their concerns. The agency intends to introduce improved testing
and monitoring procedures and Blewden says it’s working on a new import
standard for cut flowers and a risk analysis for roses in particular. (Source
Radio New Zealand)
Industry support grows for Garden Expo 2010
WARWICKSHIRE: The organisers of Garden Expo 2010 are delighted to
confirm the tremendous level of support being given to this new and focused
Garden & Outdoor Living event. The backing received from both the HTA
(Horticultural Trades Association) and Gardenex (Federation of Garden &
Leisure Manufacturers) continues to bear fruit. Their own members will
enjoy the benefits of this support during the event, which is being held from
June 28-30, 2010 at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, UK.
Ian Ashton receives HTA Pearson Medal
LONDON: Managing director of Lowaters Nursery, Ian Ashton, has
been awarded the Pearson Memorial Medal at the Horticultural Trades
Associations (HTA) Garden Futures Conference in London for his outstanding
contribution to the horticultural industry. Ian is clearly committed to training
and developing people and is the current chair of the HTA’s Training and
Careers Committee since its inception in 2008. As a former chairman of
the Lantra Production Horticulture Group he has been a supporter of local
colleges and gaining accredited recognition for nursery staff.
Kenya flower production dips 30% in September
NAIVASHA: Kenya’s flower production recorded a 30% drop in the first nine
months of this year because of a severe drought and low demand, an industry
official said yesterday. This year’s overall production is expected to drop by
16% compared to 2008, said Jane Ngige, the Kenya Flower Council (KFC)
chief. “We are now targeting 80,000 t of flower exports by the end of the year
compared to last year, when we did 93,000 t,” she said. Kenya sells more than
80% of its flower exports to the EU, with nearly half of those snapped up by
British flower lovers, a market hard hit by the global economic crisis.
Keukenhof celebrates its 61st anniversary in Russian style
LISSE: On 15 October, 2009 His Excellency Mr Gevorgian, Russian
ambassador to the Netherlands, joined forces with the Keukenhof to add the
final touches to the flower bulb mosaic of St. Basil’s Cathedral. The theme
for next year’s Keukenhof 2010 will be Russia.
Editor Correction: In the September issue Nurseries and Breeders report
from Maresme, the introduction incorrectly stated that the event was
organized by Viridalia. It should have read: “At the event Viridalia, recently
organized by the Association of Nurseries of the province of Barcelona.”
Touch
Why does the train
stop here? Part 2
Excerpts from last month.
- Our business relies heavily on innovation, on new and improved cultivars,
not to mention varieties and right new flowers never seen before…
- Ever wonder who is first to pay the price for all this activity…
- How many times has it turned out that the variety has “problems”?...
- This is a very complex issue so the first thing I would like to do is look
at other industries to see what is going on there and see if we can learn
something…
- Let’s look at the music business…
- Now when I was growing up if I liked a certain song I would have to buy
the whole album…
Today it’s all different. It began with Napster, a program created by Shawn
Fanning; it was a program for finding and transferring copies of music files
from one personal computer to another. You could actually get music for
free. It is what the techies call a file sharing system. After you downloaded
the music you were able to burn it onto a CD and then you had a disc with
music you liked from different artists. The recording industry went mad.
They immediately started suing Napster and the people using it to download
music, claiming that they were forgoing royalty rights. They wrongly assumed that this practice was killing the music industry.
Well Napster closed its servers in July 2001. Why am I saying this was wrong?
(a) In the past I would sometimes record music I liked from the radio onto
a tape recorder and arrange the tape in, basically, the same way the kids did
it in Napster. The quality was inferior, and I could only listen to my tape;
the same applied to a CD burned at home (burn is a term used for writing
information to a CD).
(b) According to calculations done by Dan Bricklin (in his book Bricklin on
Technology, pg 63) he proves that in the year 2000 - the year Napster was at
its strongest point- unit sales dropped but not revenues.
(c) There was a huge surge of bands and singers that were starting to get
attention like never before… why? Because previously the recording industry
only pushed certain artists not giving others a chance, but now thanks to
Napster exposure was completely different. So it was actually the consumer
who was beginning to decide what music and what artists he/she liked and
this was the real threat to the record industry.
What has happened since then? So much that it’s impossible to give an
account of it all, but just think, it was this need for quick downloads that
inspired the techies to invent the high speed internet connection, You Tube
(a website where any person can show the rest of the world a video and of
course music), Wikipedia (an encyclopaedia written by anyone who wants to
contribute) and blogs (where anyone can write about anything and publish it
on the internet), etc. It also paved the way for the iPod and the Apple music
store, iTunes, where for a very cheap price you can download a song you
want at a very high quality.
By the way, today there are Napster-like systems and nobody cares anymore.
To be continued…
Leaora Policar, together with
her husband Eyal, runs a flowerfarm
in the Arava Desert in Southern Israel.
Leaora@arava.co.il
37
ILLEGAL PROPAGATION
OF CHRYSANTHEMUMS IN
TORRE DEL GRECO (NAPLES – ITALY)
DISCOVERED AND PROSECUTED.
On 01-02-2008 a legal inspection took place at the company Giovanni Montechiaro with permission
of the Court of Naples. It was executed by Royalty Administration International C.V. together with their
lawyers (Lawyer Ivan Marchetto and Denise D’Annibale of the forum of Luca), an official representative
of the court
and an agronomist of the court (CTU). During this
inspection motherstock was discovered of chrysanthemum varieties
which are protected by Plant Variety Rights by the Dutch breeding
company Dekker Chrysanten B.V. In this case it were several colors of the
variety ‘Euro’.
After the inspection Royalty Administration International C.V. has declared that Giovanni Montechiaro has
no permission (license agreement or other) from the breeder for propagation of the before mentioned plants.
Therefore Royalty Administration International C.V. has proposed to the Court of Naples to start a legal
procedure against Giovanni Montechiaro to stop the illegal propagation and to compensate suffered
damage. On April 9th 2009 the judge of the Court of Naples (Dott.Raffone) has forbidden Montechiaro
to propagate the protected varieties for any purpose (sales or production) and to market these varieties.
By initiation of the judge, Montechiaro has agreed and signed on the following:
A. Montechiaro admits to have had several thousands of motherplants of the protected varieties in
production for propagation purpose.
B. Montechiaro is obliged to withhold from any further illegal activities with the Plant Variety Rights concerned.
C. Montechiaro gives permission for publication of this case in several horticultural magazines/newspapers by
Royalty Administration International C.V.
D. Montechiaro accepts the obligation to pay a significant amount to Royalty Administration International C.V.
for unpaid royalties and all lawyer costs and costs for publication.
E. Montechiaro gives Royalty Administration International C.V. permission to come to his company during
the coming 5 years to check whether the Plant Variety Rights are respected correctly.
If in future it turns out that Montechiaro has again violated the rights of Royalty Administration International
C.V and Dekker Chrysanten B.V., he runs the risk to be condemned to pay a large sum of money. In case
he will not be able to pay this amount, confiscation will follow of goods at the company where the illegal
activities are taking place.
Worldwide watching your rights.
Main Office:
‘s-Gravenzande
The Netherlands
Phone (+31) 174 42 01 71
E-mail info@royalty-adm-int.nl
Other branches in:
North-America
South-America
Japan
www.rai-worldwide.com
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Red Star
Miami
Prices
Weeks 1 to 42 (December 29 to October 16, 2009)
Product
Quantity
% 09:08and,
Price
2009 Price
2008
I was recently travelling with family in Europe
although
this was
not my first trip, I was reminded
of some of-13.6
the many cultural
Alstroemeria
179,566,812
0.14 dif- 0.14
ferences between Europe and
America, which-0.9
are hard to
miss. During
Anthurium
63,791,140
0.37
0.46
my stay with family in Germany we were very pleased to find that the
Chrysant.
137,499,102
5.3
0.28
0.35
availability of organically grown and raised food was widespread. In the
Chrysant.
836,693,962
-5.1 to find0.18
0.21
US you Spray
have to look harder
and read more labels
good choices.
Chrysant. Santini
167,898,607
-6.2
0.15
0.16
Germans refer to these products
as Bio-products
Cymbidium
10,781,067
13.1 and this
2.49was a bles3.65
sing for a man travelling with his vegan wife, or perhaps she was the
Cymbidium Mini
4,465,552
-0.5
1.16
1.67
vegan travelling with her carnivorous husband. In either case it made
Carnation
91,567,473
-3.2
0.15
0.16
eating less of a hassle, which in itself is an understatement in a land
Carnation
Spray and birthday43,100,662
-19.1
0.10
0.11
where eating
celebrations take
on a whole
new meaning
for us, on-the-go
used to our fast-3.2
food. Make
Eustoma
russellianumAmericans
94,726,174
0.30no mistake
0.31
about it though, Germans are serious about their birthdays and all of
Freesia Double
64,664,573
-10.3
0.15
0.17
the associated cakes, pies, coffee and libations that go with them. It is
Freesia
196,959,081
-6.3
0.13
0.15
amazing that they are not all obese, for indeed, they are not!
Gerbera Large
161,789,935
1.9
0.16
0.20
For some
a few of the boys decided
to a water0.11
Gerbera
Minientertainment 581,455,782
-1.0 to go
0.10
park for a day of fun and getting water in places it does not belong.
Gladiolus
64,483,253
-7.5
0.13
0.12
The park was very clean and warm inside, a stark contrast to the cold
Helianthus
53,236,441
-2.4
0.25
0.26
weather outside. As we entered the changing area I was a bit surprised
Hippeastrum
16,969,697
-17.4
0.64 there0.64
to see a hint of nudity from
men and women
alike, however,
was
no embarrassment or giant
efforts to conceal
themselves.
Hypericum
124,990,940
-8.9
0.14
0.15
Iris
60,387,751
-17.8
0.12
0.10
After several rides and slides we decided to take a sauna, my 12 yearLilium
Asiatic
35,081,992
-25.5
0.27
old nephew, who was also acting as my translator, said, “Let’s go in0.26
Lilium
Longifl
this one,
it’sorum
nude!” Hmm!42,287,043
Sure, let’s go. Th-16.4
ere we were0.33
like living 0.35
statues
parading
for all to see with a-6.9
bunch of young
Lilium
Oriental
Hybr. around 130,138,950
0.51 and not
0.56
so young Germans. Now, I48,382,909
am no stranger to9.6
nudity and
Limonium
0.18have seen0.19
my share of naked people but the tone was quite relaxed and natural,
Rose Large
2,032,579,199
1.7
0.23
0.27
despite my well-placed towel (there’s still some Catholic in me).
Rose Small
625,596,567
-6.7
0.10
0.12
Conversely,
is just so uptight
Rose
Spray American culture
47,476,233
-17.8about nudity
0.34 that the0.34
sitegreen
of one
exposed423,061,174
breast during the Superbowl
a0.13
few years 0.15
Cut
andnearly
Decorat.
-4.3
back created a media frenzy of biblical proportions. Yet on any day of
Solidago
56,721,413
-6.9
0.11
0.13
the week you can watch people on television get shot or cut up into
Tulip
1,380,253,984
1.9
0.13
0.15
little pieces with blood flying everywhere, plus a whole host of stranger
9,096,635,041
-3.0
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
5,703,108
-0.7
1.48
1.40
living in the jungle we can see boobs and lots more beside. On these
Flowering
Plants
328,333,677
5.6
1.09
1.13
shows the boobs have been deemed safe by some Government agency as
Bulb/Tuberous
77,430,721
0.83
they are not the ‘same boobs’
found on white-8.7
American1.00
girls.
Bromelia
26,098,329
0.7
1.77
1.88
The vacation party moved32,498,287
on and we ended 0.2
up at our 1.10
favourite place
Cactus/Succulent
1.11
in Europe, Amsterdam , which is also the location of the offices of this
Green
Plants
132,043,858
-4.8
1.40
1.50
wonderful magazine, Floraculture International. As we ventured out
Orchids
90,931,845
29.0to see the3.48
4.12
into the streets of my favourite
European city
sites, one did
not have to look too hard 14,053,234
to determine that-11.4
the culture2.89
in Amsterdam
Palms
2.82
is
very
diff
erent
to
that
in
America.
Th
anks
for
the
memories!
Ferns
8,668,673
-0.9
1.04
1.07
741,765,434
3.0
Remember to wear your top, Miami is hot!
1.51
1.54
Tree/Shrub/Climbing
66,611,686
10.4
1.64
ConifersWilliam Armellini has
11,285,209
23.8
1.14
been in the floral industry
Annual/Biennial
215,444,846
-5.8
since birth and works
for Greenleaf Sourcing
in 0.59
PerennialMiami. william@floracultureinternational.com
61,680,916
6.3
0.95
www.greenleafwholesale.com.
356,408,356
-0.6
0.86
1.57
1.18
0.53
0.88
0.78
Fresh
your wishes determines the range
Garden Plants
Because Peerdeman delivers orchid
starting material on order.
Cornelis Kuinweg 24, 1619 PE Andijk, NL
T. +31(0)228-581564 • F. +31(0)228584127
E. sales@peerdemanorchideeen.nl
W: www.peerdemanorchideeen.nl
Total
39
FloraHolland Trade Fair Aalsmeer
The wide array of
high quality plants
and flowers are
rarely presented in
a simple pot or vase
anymore as growers
increasingly employ
marketing tools
ranging from group
representation to
unique labelling and
branding to attract
the attention of
buyers and inspire
sales.
Collectives and
breeders push for
name recognition
T
by Anabel Evans
he red carpet treatment for
visitors entering this year’s
FloraHolland Trade Fair
Aalsmeer from October 14-16,
2009 set the scene for the experience
awaiting them inside. Buyers and
their customers were entertained
with a high degree of hospitality.
The biggest ever trade area, with
over 600 stands (75% of which were
growers), was once again testament
to the growing professionalism
within the production sector.
However, neither the environmental
nor the farm price pressures
currently facing the flowering pot
plant and cut flower growers can
be underestimated. And yet, the
atmosphere on the trade floor was
good – in fact, an exhibitor expressly
asked that this was stated in our
report.
New grower groups, such as the
Quality Flower Group and Tooday,
are joining the now familiar
marketing ventures of (among
others) the Decorum Company, Air
So Pure, Sure Plants, FloraPlanet,
Living Colours, Nature’s Art and
F1 Flowers. Employing a relations
manager, Toon van den Heuvel,
the Quality Flower Group typifies
the goal of growers – to intensify
the representation of their products
among more buyers in an efficient
manner. Van den Heuvel acts as a
direct contact for buyers to source a
wide assortment of chrysanthemums
grown by eight growers with sales of
2.5 million stems per week. Started
in March this year, Van den Heuvel
says, “After the summer holidays,
we have seen the number of sales
contacts rise. The majority of stems
are sold via the clocks with up to
30% sold via the intermediary
services of FloraHolland.”
Tooday is an initiative of a ceramics
manufacturer, Keramische Industrie
Limburg (KIL), working with a pot
plant grower, Koeleman Pot Plants,
and a designer studio, Studio Baan.
The cross-industry cooperation aims
to service the market with added
value ‘lifestyle’ products. Tooday’s
production of its own ceramics
and plants has the advantages of
satisfying both the demands relating
to European quality standards and
speed of sourcing. Female fashion
designers have been assigned to
create the lifestyle combinations,
which include 52 special themes.
Louis van Dijke says, “Since our
start in August this year the market
response has been very positive
and we expect the first orders to be
delivered in Europe in early 2010.”
Stylish and sustainable
Toon van den
Heuvel is the
relations manager
for the new Quality
Flower Group of
chrysanthemum
growers.
40
Apart from designer aspects,
which invigorate the lifestyle trend
commonly used today to market
end consumer products, there
is also an emphasis being placed
on the social and environmental
responsibility connected with
the production of plants and
flowers. In this respect, the Danish
nurseries associated with the Living
Colours label were introducing
their new ‘Pack to Nature’ theme
to the European market, with its
100% biodegradable, eco-friendly
packaging. Manufactured from
recycled cardboard, the bedding
plants sourced from the seven Living
Colours nurseries can be distributed
without plastic pots, trays or
handles.
The Living Colours stand was also
noticeably bringing attention to
the names of the seven individual
nurseries in the group. This is a
point that was similarly striking in
the presentation areas organised
by SurePlants and FloraPlanet.
It was commented that name
recognition in the supply chain of
the various source nurseries remains
a very important aspect of the
respective joint sales and marketing
activities. For example, with the
azalea product complementing the
existing FloraPlanet assortment,
the Belgian grower, Mario Naudts,
has joined the group with his own
azalea brand, Queen of Flowers.
com. Naudts uses his marketing
flair to create a refreshing new
image for the azalea. His revised
website for consumers is accessible
to a worldwide audience (choice
of nine languages) with the Queen
of Flowers visually positioned as
a decorative plant for classical,
contemporary or modern interiors.
Naudts comments that the sales
activities coordinated by FloraPlanet
have been a great advantage to him;
the time released being used to
concentrate on his core business of
plant growing and selection.
Takeawaytrends.com is another
The stand of F1 Flowers was the winner of this year’s Originality Prize.
A female fashion
designer has
been assigned to
create 52 special
themes for Tooday,
a new Production
Company founded
organisation.
multilingual website focused
on inspiring and informing
consumers about plant trends and
care, which was first reported on
from the Flower Trials 2008 and
is an initiative involving over 30
growers. It was advertised on the
stand of Formosa International,
which specialises in the import of
decorative plants from the Far East
under the Oriental Dream label.
The owner, Piet Wei, commented
on another retail marketing issue
which, despite the financial crisis,
is also noted in wider circles to still
be a priority for the coming five
years, namely carbon footprints:
“Especially in the UK, we are
informing the retail chains about
our low CO2 production strategy
with phalaenopsis grown in
Taiwan and shipped by sea to the
Netherlands for a limited, final
flowering phase.”
The GreenBalanZ concept by
Van der Weijden Orchids is the
>>>
41
Annie Agger, sales
manager Living
Colours by Nældebakken, presents
the new in Europe
‘Pack to Nature’.
2009 winner of the FloraHolland
Award in the category Concepts.
The ‘pure’ statement is both visual
and inherent to production with
certificates for MPS 2015 and Fair
Flower Fair Plants (FFP). Since
2007, environment-friendly energy
technologies, involving the storage
of warm and cold water in 150
m deep aquifers, have also been
employed in their semi-closed
greenhouse.
Breeder commitment
Apart from the aforementioned
collective sales activities of growers,
there are also product promotion
campaigns initiated by breeders.
Four separate nurseries, for example,
were presenting the Calandiva from
Fides. Jan Pieter van der Houwen
from the ‘s-Gravenhof nursery
began Calandiva production two
years ago; he says this is because
exporters specifically ask for the
Calandiva. He is enthusiastic about
Fides’ commitment to introducing
marketing programs with more
emotion and a better connection to
the consumers’ lifestyle. In particular
he sees the ‘Inspire the World!’
Calandiva & Co Roadshow, which
42
was introduced at the IPM Essen
2009, as a critical step. “We need
these direct promotional activities
to show florists (and consumers)
how to use our plants. We have to
move on from the traditional pot
and sleeve presentation to a stylish
home interior image whereby the
plants take on a whole new look.”
However, one aspect that he does
question in the Calandiva branding
is the, perhaps, rather narrow
appeal of the chic black and white
packaging: “In shops, brightly
coloured packaging is often a real
eye-catcher for a wider public.”
The specialist breeder in anthurium
cut flowers and pot plants,
RijnPlant, is also seeking to capture
the attention of a wider retail
audience with the development
of their Lovely’s brand of smaller
flowered cut anthuriums; the size
is well suited to mixed bouquet
arrangements and targets middleclass shoppers. Their new, cold
resistant (minimum 8/10°C)
Patio Anthurium collection is a
breakthrough for garden centres
since these potted anthuriums can
be positioned for sales in both the
indoor and outdoor departments.
The Supreme Selections product
label from Hilverda De Boer,
which was initiated a few years
ago, accounts for a very small
percentage of their total sales,
but it is of high value in terms of
The ‘pure’
statement by
Van der Weijden
Orchids is both
visual and inherent
to production with
certificates for
MPS 2015 and Fair
Flower Fair Plants
(FFP).
providing wholesalers and florists
with an exclusive service. Cut flower
traders thus have the choice to order
consistently high quality flowers
(lily, chrysanthemum, gerbera,
germini) presented in a distinctive
packaging with the same-day
shipment protocol ensuring cut
flowers arrive at the destination one
day fresher.
The Suntory Princettia is also
targeting an exclusive service and
image with sales purposefully
positioned outside of the standard
Euphorbia pulcherrima season. Pull
Position, professionals in strategy,
marketing and sales, have been
contracted to develop the Princettia
marketing campaign. Bernadette
Kapteijn explained that after the
first season in 2009, the sales period
will be extended in 2010 (starting
in mid-June up to mid-October);
this is due to the planned increase
in young plants production from
300,000 to 1.5 million plants,
however Princettia will always be
removed from the market before the
classic Christmas sales season.
On the Van den Berg RoseS stand,
Arie van den Berg is one of the
19 Dutch Avalanche+ growers
involved in one of the newest,
industry promotional campaigns,
namely the launch of a house style
Inspiration next to Innovation
>>>
More than sixty new plants, flowers and concepts were presented in a
Novelties Expo positioned right next to the Trends and Retail Plaza where
retail specialists were presenting new ways of bringing products to the
market.
With the orchid as the central theme of this year’s plaza three concepts –
Hortus Orchideus, EnJOY and WithWhite (love, luck and care) – revealed
potential eye-catching shelf displays suited to different consumer types: either
those seeking an authentic homemade appearance, the supermarket shoppers
enticed by clear-cut prices or, consumers ready to ‘shop in shop’ for seasonal
gift style products.
43
for the Avalanche+ collection from
breeder Lex+, the Rose Factory. Van
den Berg strongly believes that the
consistent marketing presentation
of Avalanche+ varieties will help
to distinguish the roses in the
marketplace and increase the name
recognition at retail. The launch
of the elegant Avalanche+ logo
took place during the opening of
the Trade Fair at the ‘red carpet’
entrance organised by the Flower
Council of Holland and arranged
by 2Dezign. The Flower Council
of Holland, together with the 19
Dutch growers and the breeder,
Lex+, are cooperating in the planned
promotional activities. Using the
logo is a logical step forward in
building the brand of this rose
and establishing it at the top end
of the market. The unambiguous
house style will be used to further
enhance recognition and will serve
to reinforce the quality image of
the rose. Avalanche+ is available in
white, peach and sweet. All three
will be using the same logo.
Avalanche+ has been marketed
since 2000 and during this period
has developed to become one of
the best selling rose varieties at the
Dutch auctions, with annual sales
of more than 200 million stems.
At European level it holds a market
share of around 55% among the
white, large flowered rose varieties.
The popular characteristics (a full
flower, good vase life and buds
guaranteed to open) of the individual
varieties speak for themselves with
an impressive list of awards received
for Avalanche+, Peach Avalanche+
and Sweet Avalanche+; including
FloraHolland Fleur Primeurs, which
confirms the buyers’ confidence in
the roses’ performance in the supply
chain. Following this story one step
further, a recent survey reveals that
the name preference for Avalanche+
has already been achieved among
florists and even in several royal
homes. In the context of continued
brand building the breeder and
growers of Avalanche+ will soon
be collaborating with the Flower
Council of Holland to provide
florists with support in areas such as
in-store display, sales techniques and
marketing.
New Dates 2010
Next year’s FloraHolland Trade
Fair Aalsmeer will be held in the
first week of November from
Wednesday 3rd to Friday 5th. The
FloraHolland management says that
the decision to change the dates,
which no longer coincide with the
Horti Fair week, is based on the
“marketplace” timing preferences
Representatives of the 19
Dutch Avalanche+
growers, Cor den
Hartog from Lex+,
the Rose Factory,
and Brigitte Hagen
from the Flower
Council of Holland
celebrate both
the launch of a
new logo and
the established
cooperation
between the three
parties to continue
building the brand
Avalanche+.
44
Glass Tulip
ip n
nom
omination
ions
indicated by its chain partners
(suppliers and customers). Plus,
in November, more square metres
right next to the trade floor become
available at the Aalsmeer auction;
this year and last year, for example,
it was not possible to have the
inspirational plazas adjacent to the
main exhibiting area.
In response to the new dates, HPP
Exhibitions, a leading organizer
of international trade shows, has
announced a new flower trade
show in the Netherlands, to be
held November 2 to 5, 2010
in Vijfhuizen, just 15 minutes
outside Aalsmeer. According to
HPP managing director, Dick van
Raamsdonk, he has no other choice
left after FloraHolland announced
it will organize its own trade show
in the first week of November. “To
participate in the FloraHolland
event as an exhibitor you need an
auction number. I am now offering
a new venue to all the breeding
and trade companies who have
no alternative for the first week of
November.”
The first edition of the
International Flower Fair is to be
held in Vijfhuizen in the former
premises of the Floriade 2002. Van
Raamsdonk is thrilled to bits about
the new venue: “Actually we are
talking about a 13,000 m2, very tall
greenhouse construction within a
stones throw of the FloraHolland
auction in Aalsmeer. The location
is easily reachable by car and public
transport.” |||
Campanula Sweet Mee
The occasion of the Novelties Expo was used to celebrate the nomination
of the first eight products for the prestigious FloraHolland Glass Tulip
2010 contest, where awards are presented for the year’s most successful
product introductions in four categories. The next eight products will be
nominated in March 2010, during the FloraHolland Trade Fair Naaldwijk.
The Aalsmeer nominees received their certificate of nomination from
FloraHolland general director, Timo Huges, on the first morning of the
Trade Fair.
In the category ‘cut flowers’ are Hydrangea Papillon (Hydraflower)
and Asclepias Amalia (N.J.S. Janson). In the category ‘houseplants’
are Alocasia Black Magic (Kwekerij J. de Groot) and Chirita ‘Chastity’
(Mts. K. de Redelijkheid). In the category ‘garden plants’ are Campanula
Sweet Mee (Fairytale Flowers) and Tasty Bonsai (Jac. V.v. Hoeven
Boomkwekerij). And, in the category ‘concepts’ are Puur Aroma (Vaste
Plantenkwekerij Radder) and the Mangrove-concept Blue Lagoon
(Grower of potted plants Sjaloom).
Puur Aroma
45
Consumer Label
One consumer label
for the worldwide
ornamentals industry
remains a dream
of the Fair Flowers
Fair Plants (FFP)
organisation. The FFP
label has, however,
managed to capture
the sales imagination
of 4,300 retailers
across 10 countries
in Europe over the
last three years. In
fact, the supply of
FFP products is not
keeping pace with
the continuously
increasing demand:
a strong signal of
the sales pull, and a
motivation for more
growers to become an
FFP participant.
by Regina Dinkla,
Fair Flower Fair Plants
“There is enough
demand, but only
a few growers”
C
onsumers who buy flowers
and plants with a clearly
visible FFP sticker or click
label in a shop, can rely on a product
that has been produced not only in
an environmentally friendly way,
but also in a socially responsible way,
which means without exploiting or
underpaying employees. As an international non-profit organization
of producers, traders, trade unions
FFP and FloraHolland
have recently introduced the “FloraHolland
Fair Trade” packaging
concept whereby retail
chains can present the
sustainable FFP products in a distinguishing
manner: exhibited here
by Regina Dinkla at the
FloraHolland Trade Fair
Aalsmeer.
46
and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), FFP was founded in
2005, partly as an answer to negative
publicity about the production of
flowers and plants throughout the
world.
In the meantime, the demand for
flowers and plants cultivated in an
environmentally and socially responsible way continues to increase
steadily. Besides the florists, retail
chains like supermarkets and garden
centres also have a range of products
sourced from growers who choose
cultivation methods that are biological, organic, ecologically and socially
responsible. We also see on an international basis that various retailers
sell flowers and plants with the
Fairtrade Certification Mark, where
the objective is to give agricultural
sectors in developing countries a
better price for their products and to
guarantee better labour conditions
for their employees. FFP differs
from Fairtrade because it is a consumer label for flowers and plants
only; the environmental standards
are higher; and, very importantly,
growers worldwide can participate,
including Europe, which enables a
wider and more varied supply.
Standards and costs
In the first three years the FFP
participant records consist of 160
growers (of whom 65 are cut
flower growers), 190 traders and
4,300 retailers. The major part of
the FFP growers are companies in
the Netherlands, Kenya, Ecuador
and Ethiopia and in relation to the
uptake of the FFP label by retailers,
the number of growers is too small.
This lack of growers is experienced
as a big problem by FFP.
The level of the MPS certificate
MPS-A and the International Code
of Conduct (ICC) are the basis of
this international consumer label
while other social and environmental schemes are in the process of
being benchmarked against the FFP
by Kerry Herndon
Stuff
Unthinkable
Resilience
I just finished a book titled, ‘The Age of the Unthinkable’. The author,
Joshua Cooper Ramo, has brought together various ideas to try and
look at the world a bit differently; not in our usual manner. The Age of
the Unthinkable refers to things like the terrorist plot on 11 September
to fly jumbo jets into the World Trade Centre. A previously unthinkable act was carried out and, therefore, is no longer unthinkable. But
this is just the beginning of a wide ranging romp around the world
using his experience as the Time magazine foreign editor.
standard; for example, Fiore Giusto
in Italy (recently approved) and
the Kenya Flower Council Code of
Practice.
FFP participation means only minor
extra costs for those growers who
already satisfy the aforementioned
FFP standard: the FFP participation
costs vary between €50 per company
when smaller than 2 ha up to €200
for companies larger than 5 ha. The
costs remain low because FFP is a
non-profit organization supported
by the Dutch Horticultural Commodity Board (Productschap Tuinbouw) for the coming two years.
Potential supply
Growers can be assured that there
are traders waiting for a larger range
of products to meet the demand
from retailers. Life & Garden, a
Dutch garden centre chain with 25
retail shops, has put FFP orchids in
its program and is expanding the
range of products. Living Colours,
an Irish wholesaler, has started to
supply FFP products to 34 points of
sale. In Sweden 1,500 florists have
become FFP participants and the
large German supermarket chain
Rewe (2,000 branche-stores) sells
FFP plants. In mid-September, 50
shops of the Norwegian supermarket
chain REMA1000 commenced sales
of FFP rose bouquets from Ethiopia.
FloraHolland is also responding to
the increasing demand for “fair”
products. Apart from the identification of FFP products on the auction
clocks (using an F), in cooperation
with FFP, the auction has recently
introduced the FloraHolland Fair
Trade concept: a packaging concept
whereby retail chains, looking for a
sustainable answer, can present the
FFP products in a distinguishing
manner.
FFP market share
FFP flowers and plants now have
a market share of around 4% of
the worldwide production volume.
If this percentage grows to nearly
10% in the coming three years, we
can talk about an established label,
which is fully integrated into the
production and trading environment for flowers and plants. The
FFP grower does not receive extra
money for his/her products, but
it does serve his/her own strategic interest. In particular, with FFP, growers make a statement about their
professionalism and reduce the risk
of their products being displaced
from the market in the future due to
the fact that they are not following
developments and cannot respond
(or respond too slowly) to the future
basic condition: “produce in a
socially responsible and sustainable
way”. Just consider the governments
in Europe; they oblige national and
local authorities more and more to
buy 100% sustainable products. |||
Some subject areas are taken from the world of natural sciences where
Ramo describes the creation of sand piles in controlled experiments,
adding one grain of sand at a time. It turns out to be mathematically
impossible to predict when the pile will collapse. What does that have
to do with flowers? It is impossible to predict economies and market
collapses into the future. How many of us predicted the financial
collapse and a sudden change in consumer behaviour, along with the
collapse in pot plant prices? This was driven in Europe by extreme over
production of phalaenopsis orchids.
Ramo looks at the tactics of Hezbollah and how they adapt to the actions of the Israeli army to survive. Ramo is not in any way condoning
their action, but rather studying them to learn something about the
world we live in today. Ramo’s book also features the most successful
leader of the Israeli Military Intelligence, on how to collect information
in unlikely ways, which will give a clearer picture of the challenges
facing us.
Like I said, it is a wide ranging book. While being fully conscious
of the unthinkably bad things people can do, Ramo has many ideas
about the unthinkably good things people can do and in many cases
are doing. These people don’t make the news because toiling for the
good of humanity is not a selling headline (or news report). Some of
the information Ramo shares is quite inspirational in terms of the great
things that committed individuals are doing around us, but which we
never hear about.
The most important idea for me is the idea of resilience. Here Ramo
uses Israel as an example again. After a terrorist attack the society resumes normal activity quickly. They have built resilience into the fabric
of their society. I cannot personally imagine this way of life, but Ramo
says that we must all learn to be far more resilient in order to adapt to
the inevitable and unpredictable, the unthinkable; changes that will
buffet us constantly in our future daily lives. Many of us wonder how
it is possible with collapsing prices and shrinking margins to find the
kind of resilience necessary to survive. I also wonder about this. Then
I remember that I have two of my children currently at University and
the third will expect to attend next year. Like most of us, I have no
choice but to find the resilience to succeed.
Kerry Herndon owns Kerry’s Bromeliads,
a tropical potted plant nursery
in Homestead, Florida, United States.
kerryherndon@msn.com
>>>
47
Classifieds
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
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
ELASTIC STRING for AXRO flower
bundling machine.
We have several elastic strings in different colors:
white, black, green, blue and brown. We also
have elastic string for bundling food products.
Min. price per box of 12 coils EURO 50,00 ex
works.
WWW.RIJNBEEK.NL: We supply quality
young plants of evergreen clematis varieties.
COMPANY SERVICES
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
PAPER-POTS MACHINE: Our paper-pot
machine has been developed to produce
paper-pots, capacity up to max. 5,000 paperpots per hour. www.hetotuinbouw.nl
Advertising Index
COMPANY
PAGE
WEBSITE
AMA Plastics Ltd. ....................................................26 ...........................www.amaplas.com
Anthura B.V. ..............................................................13 ..................................www.anthura.nl
Colombian Association .........................................3,7 ............................www.florverde.org
of Flower Exporters, ...........................................................................www.asocolflores.org
Asocolflores Florverde
AVO Anthurium Vogels...........................................26 ..........................................www.avo.nl
Callas New Zealand Ltd.........................................26 .........www.callasnewzealand.com
Container Centralen..................................................2 .....www.container-centralen.com
Corn. Bak B.V. ...........................................................30 ...........................www.bromelia.com
Danziger “Dan” Flower Farm ...............................50 ............................www.danziger.co.il
DLV Plant....................................................................34 ..................................www.dlvplant.nl
Flora Co., Ltd..............................................................48 .............................www.HB-101.co.jp
Floragard Vertriebs GmbH ....................................13 ............................. www.floragard.de
Floricultura B.V. ........................................................29 .......................www.floricultura.com
Flowerport Logistics B.V. .......................................20 .............www.flowerportlogistics.nl
Flowers and Cents...................................................26 .............www.flowersandcents.org
Hawe Systems Europe B.V. ..................................36 .................www.hawesystems.com
J&H Japan Inc. ........................................................32 ............................ info@jh-japan.com
Konst Alstroemeria B.V. .........................................29 ...................www.alstroemeria.com
COMPANY
PAGE
WEBSITE
Lutgo Global ..............................................................20 ..................................www.lutgo.com
Mardenkro.................................................................25 .......................www.mardenkro.com
Market News Service-MNS ................................26 ....................www.intracen.org/mns
Messe Essen GmbH ...............................................51 ..........................www.ipm-messe.de
mKoppe B.V. ..............................................................13 .............................www.mkoppebv.nl
Moerheim New Plant B.V......................................34 ........................www.moerheim.com
Peerdeman Orchideeën ........................................39 .... www.peerdemanorchideeen.nl
Pindstrup Mosebrug A/S.......................................52 ......................... www.pindstrup.com
Policar Arava Farms ...............................................26 ...............................www.smmol.com
Pöppelmann GmbH & Co. KG...............................30 .................www.poeppelmann.com
Pothos Plant Nederland B.V. ................................26 ..........................www.pothosplant.nl
Royalty Administration Intl. ...................................38 .................www.rai-worldwide.com
SBW International...................................................13 ....................................... www.sbw.nu
Sogo Team Co., Ltd..................................................34 ............www.sogo-orchids.com.tw
Stal & Plast A/S ........................................................32 ........................... www.staal-plast.dk
Taiwan Orchid Growers Association .................32 ...............................www.tios.com.tw
Tref Substrates B.V..................................................20 ..........................www.trefgroup.com
Jiffy Products International AS ...........................20 ...............................www.jiffypot.com
Young Flowers ..........................................................36 .....................www.youngflowers.dk
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. (claudia@floracultureinternational.com). 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.
49
January 26 – 29
I PM E SSE N
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
FAIR FOR PLANTS
Plants | Technology | Floristry | Sales Promotion
YOUR INITIATOR ...worldwide!
E S!
T
A
D
W
NE
iday
r
F
o
t
y
a
Tuesd
29
–
6
2
y
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a
Janu
Fon +49(0)18 05.2215 14 (0,14 €/min.)
Fax +49(0)2 01.72 44-513 · info@messe-essen.de
www. ipm-essen.de

Trade Fairs generate taste for more

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