Rose auctioneer Erik Wassenaar had a busy week. He was in Kenya and visited a total of 12 farms. All are rose growers and members of Royal FloraHolland. Back in the Netherlands, he enjoys the beautiful autumn colors outside. He also sees that on the clock.
Autumn on the clock
Autumn has begun and nature is showing its best side. The leaves change color and give the world beautiful autumn hues. You can also see this season reflected in the ornamental plant market. Pumpkins, Oakleaves, Brassicas, and Hellebores are now available in abundance on the auction clocks. In addition, orange roses are very popular at this time of year.
Roses: good prices at a difficult time
Although prices for roses are normally a bit lower at this time of year, they remain surprisingly good this autumn. At the beginning of the week, we did see a small drop. This was due to the warm weather in the Netherlands, which increased the supply of roses on the clock. Still, the total supply of roses remains lower than expected. This is due to the cold and wet weather in Kenya, which is why production is lagging. This period lasts much longer than usual.
Visiting growers in Kenya
Last week I was in Kenya. As an auctioneer, I have regular contact with growers. It is important to visit the nurseries. We go over qualitative, but also quantitative matters concerning the market and what Royal FloraHolland means or can mean in that respect. Because Kenya is not next door, we always plan the visits as efficiently as possible thanks to our local office. So we were able to visit 12 rose nurseries (farms) in 4 days. Long, but fruitful days. My observation was that production is slowly but surely picking up. However, this does vary from farm to farm, as the production areas are at different altitudes and each has its own microclimate.
Challenges for Kenyan growers
Kenyan growers face many more challenges. Besides weather conditions, they face high air freight costs. New European policies also mean additional costs for mandatory Plant Protection Service (PD) inspections and export documents. All this does not make things easy for Kenyan importers.
All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day
Two important days in ornamental plant cultivation are coming up next week: All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. Many flowers and plants are traditionally bought for these days of remembrance. As auctioneers, we take into account extra price fluctuations around these days. Then we get ready for the festive month of December.
With changes in the market and challenges in Kenya, it is an interesting time in floriculture. Autumn brings new opportunities and challenges for growers and buyers alike.
For more information:
Royal FloraHolland
Tel: 088 789 89 89
www.royalfloraholland.com