October 2017 was again a month with many exhibitions, with the Proflora held in Bogota, Colombia, Ontario Greenhouse Conference held in Canada, IFEX held in Tokyo, Japan, PMA in New Oreans, USA and the WF&WFSA in Miami, USA. But more happened, below the overview:
Philips Lighting adds Ball Seed to North America Partner Network
Philips Lighting has signed a partnership agreement with Ball Seed, one of North America’s leading wholesale horticultural distributors. Ball Seed will now offer Philips GreenPower LED lighting as a compliment to their liners, plugs, unrooted cuttings, seed and pre-finished products.
Alexander Litvinenko, Da Rosa:
Russian grower thrives with pot roses
"In about two to three years, we expect the vegetable market in Russia to be full, so we decided to diversify business with the production of ornamentals", says Alexander Litvinenko, Project manager at Russian vegetable grower group of companies Gorkunov. Last July, their new company Da Rosa put their first Kordana pot roses on the market and they attended the FlowersExpo Moscow for the first time. Cultivating this crop seems to be a good decision, as the reactions from clients and potential clients are very positive.
Chinese market more important to Danish breeder Roses Forever
“New companies in the Chinese floriculture industry are often quite big and focus on automation to reduce the required labor. Also, the Chinese market asks for high quality roses and a big variety of pot sizes and colours. This combination makes it a great market for us to enter,” says Rosa Eskelund of Roses Forever. The Danish breeder of pot roses sees how the Chinese market is getting more and more important.
Here it is, the photo report of the Proflora 2017. From October 4-6, the 14th edition of this biennial show was held where 328 exhibitors showcased their products and services at the Corferias Convention Center in Bogota, Colombia. FloralDaily.com was also present at the show to make a Photo Report and to interview exhibitors and visitors.
A closer look at trends, opportunities and challenges:
Canada's vibrant industry is rooting for success
If you were not able to experience it firsthand during the Greenhouse Conference: Canada is on its way to become a greenhouse superpower. Not only in Ontario, where construction in the Leamington and Niagara areas is in full swing, but also in provinces like Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia growers aren't sitting still. The augmentation of the greenhouse acreage goes hand in hand with the introduction of innovative techniques and during the Canadian Greenhouse Conference we learned about the latest tricks of this trade.
Esmeralda Breeding shares product portfolio with Dümmen Orange
Dümmen Orange and Esmeralda Breeding have announced a strategic partnership during Proflora in Colombia. Both companies have agreed on a license that gives Dümmen Orange partners access to the Esmeralda product portfolio.
Suntory Flowers introduces blue rose Applause
Blue roses do not come out of the blue
After over 20 years of breeding, testing and propagating, Japanese breeder Suntory Flowers succeeded in putting a new color rose on the market. It was launched mid-September and the first flowers have been shipped out from Maxiflores, a farm in Colombia, to Fresca Farms, which will exclusively supply the North American market with this new variety named Applause.
Japan: IFEX 2017 welcomes 42,761 visitors
The 14th edition of the International Flower Expo Tokyo (IFEX), together with GARDEX, TOOL JAPAN and AGRI WORLD, has drawn a record number of 42,761 visitors over three days. This year, the four different shows created the largest show with 1,870 exhibitors that would like to expand their business in this market. The show is unique in that so many Japanese flower growers gather at one place. Over 200 Japanese growers exhibited this year to meet Japanese and international buyers.
CEO Lucas Vos leaves Royal FloraHolland
Lucas Vos, CEO of Royal FloraHolland, has decided to step down. In his place, the Supervisory Board will appoint Steven van Schilfgaarde, currently CFO of the cooperative, as new Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1, 2018.
Kenya: Nakuru high altitude farms hit by heavy rains
Low supply and an upcoming holiday. This combination often results in higher prices and this is exactly what Kenyan rose grower Sachin Appachu of Bliss Flora is hoping for. Currently, heavy rains in Nakuru are decreasing the production volumes at many high altitude farms in the region and with All Saints nearing, the prices might shoot up next week. Hopefully, it will remain calm during the re-elections next week as unrest affected flower shipments during the elections ten years ago.
Bloomingdale Roses' Bunty Shah shot dead
Bloomingdale Roses' owner Bunty Shah has been shot dead at his family's home in Nairobi, Kenya. Shah and his Bloomingdale Roses brand was a well-known name in the flower industry, operating a 38 ha nursery with a range of 20 breeds, grown on the slopes of Mount Kenya.
Photo Report: Floral exhibitors at PMA New Orleans
This past weekend the PMA took place in Orlando, Florida. More than 1,000 exhibitors showcased new products, trends and technologies. The PMA is a large and important exhibition for the fresh produce, but the number of floral exhibitors is growing every year.
Aftermath Hurricane Irma talk of town at WF&WFSA 2017
With 784 attendees the Wholesale Florists & Florist Supplier Association (WF&FSA) closed its annual Floral Distribution Conference in Miami on Friday, October 20. The conference was held at the Miami Airport Convention Center (MACC) for the second time, but at a new larger hall. In total, 129 exhibitors presented their products.
US (CA): Easter lilies hit hard by rains, cold temps and wildfires
This year’s Easter Lily crop in the West Coast of the USA experienced several severe setbacks, so much so that a very dismal (size-wise) crop has been harvested. Specialists of the Ednie Flower Bulb/Fred C. Gloeckner & Company team explain how the crop was first hit by heavy rains, cold temperatures and afterwards by the wildfires in the Chetco area.