„The flower market is highly dynamic and moving at a much faster pace than we expected. We will see large volumes of chrysanthemums and other cut flowers coming from Africa, Southern Europe and perhaps even South America,” says CEO Steven van Schilfgaarde of Royal FloraHolland. The production acreage abroad is expanding while the acreage in the Netherlands is shrinking.
Royal FloraHolland (RFH) has more than 600 international members from Europe, Africa and Asia. While international membership is increasing, the member count in the Netherlands is dropping. Floriculture acreage in Africa, South America and Southern Europe is on the rise. "We are witnessing a shift. Chrysanthemums and other products are now also coming from Africa. It is no longer just roses and summer flowers. The flower market is highly dynamic and moving at a much faster pace than we expected," says Steven van Schilfgaarde. The CEO at RFH also notices that new trade routes are emerging, directly from Kenya to the UK, for example.
RFH's ambition is to be the leading international floriculture marketplace, using Floriday as its digital platform alongside its physical hubs. To this end and in response to the internationalisation of supply, the auction is developing services for international members. Last year was largely devoted to developing the functionalities that foreign growers need in Floriday.