Dutch plant and flower exports in 2024 represented a value of EUR 7.1 billion, a 4% increase over 2023, according to figures from Floridata. Particularly cut flowers have contributed to this result. Meanwhile, traders face rising costs and margins are thin. “2025 will be a challenging year,” expects VGB Director Matthijs Mesken.
The four percent value increase of plant and flower exports is attributable to cut flowers. Last year, traders exported EUR 4.4 billion worth of flowers, 6.7% more than in the previous year. Plants, on the other hand, showed a minor decrease of 0.3%, reaching an export value of EUR 2.6 billion. Since the final year of Covid, when plant export value rose by 17.5%, there have been slight annual decreases. According to Matthijs Mesken, this shows that there is more at play than just the bad weather this spring, although he does not know exactly what.
The question is whether the significant increase in the export value of plants and cut flowers will cover the costs of traders. Traders have seen auction flowers become more expensive, leading to a 14% rise in purchasing costs last year. Mesken finds that expenses for labor, inspections, transport, auction fees, and energy are increasing as well. He also points to CSRD, which incurs costs. “Where will this lead? I wonder whether all these increased costs can be offset. Margins are under considerable pressure. People will be running out of leeway at some point; somewhere in the chain this will hurt.”
