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Special Keukenhof Supplement
Flower festivals herald start of spring RUSSIA
Greenhouse farming on the verge of big changes
TPIE
A stylish opening of the new trade show season in South Florida
Floralies Holland, Keukenhof, Goyang show Korea and Canada’s Blooms ready to blossom Brought to you by
www.kisan.com
March 2014
FloraCulture The business magazine for worldwide floriculture
Floraculture International encourages the pursuit of joint activities in areas of mutual interest with national and international societies, companies and organisations. Agreements have been reached between Floraculture International and leading growers and trade associations in 24 countries. This unique partnership includes a complimentary copy for each member of the registered associations. Floraculture International is proud to announce the cooperation with the following associations.
Partners of FloraCulture International
For more FCI partners see page 44.
Turk覺sh FONT HARR襤NGTON
KwaZulu Natal Flower Grower's Association
Table of Contents
March 2014 Volume 24 Number 3
Russian greenhouse farming on the verge of big changes The Russian glasshouse industry is on the verge of big changes due to the planned implementation of a series of large-scale investment projects, recently announced by private investors. by Eugene Gerden
Danes preparing to flex their muscles over FloraHolland row The Danish ornamental horticulture industry is ready to take action against the anti-competitive behaviour of Dutch flower auction FloraHolland. by Lotte Bjarke
12
TPIE starts the year off in style in South Florida
14
Dutch Lily Days anticipate increase in foreign visitors
After three successful editions, the Dutch Lily Days have gained an international reputation. The 'Annual Four Days devoted to Lilies' will be reprised this year from May 20 – 23. from our own correspondent
31
The human eye has it!
An absolute first for Dutch orchid grower Piet Vijverberg, who recently launched a hybrid human-machine vision inspection system for his orchids. by Ron van der Ploeg
Pot rose grower opts for Philips LED top lighting
Leo van der Harg bv, based in Vierpolders, the Netherlands have decided to install Philips GreenPower LED top lighting in their new greenhouse. This makes the company, which specialises in Kordana pot roses, the first grower to use LED top lighting on a large scale. from our own correspondent
Visitors from the north luxuriated in the relatively balmy 16C temperatures on the opening day of the annual Tropical Plant Industry Exhibition in Ft. Lauderdale. But inside the Broward County Convention Center it was all warm smiles, as 6,124 attendees (up about 5% from 2013) kicked off the 2014 North American trade show season. by Chris Beytes
08
33
35
Special Keukenhof Supplement
Volmary swears by Ellepot
German young plant supplier Volmary purchased their first Ellepot machine in 2001. Encouraged by very positive experience with it, today at the company’s young plant production site at Senden a fully automatic model is in use.
36
by John Sutton
Girl Power, Girl Flower
On the occasion of International Women's Day (March 8th) FloraCulture International travelled down to Albenga, Italy where Thalia Flor is owned by women only.
40
by Aldo Colombo
Departments World News International Events Advertising Index
19
Columns 13 32 45
FloraCulture International is proud to present a 13-page supplement on the forthcoming Keukenhof, which will run from 20 March to 18 May, 2014. The goal of the Guide to Keukenhof is to develop a directory, which provides information for visitors allowing them to research and plan their Keukenhof visit ahead.
From the editor Dutch Comfort Miami Happy Gardening
07 13 17 39
March 2014 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com
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In my opinion In my opinion In my opinion In my opinion In my opinion With compliments From editor With the compliments
FloraCulture International (ISSN1051-9076) is published monthly.Worldwide distribution. © 2009 FloraCulture International magazine. All rights reserved. No portion of editorial may FloraCulture is published monthly.Worldwide distribution. be reproducedInternational in any form (ISSN1051-9076) without written permission of the publisher. Publisher is not liable © 2009 FloraCulture International magazine. All rights reserved. No portion of editorial may for advertisements using illegally obtained images. Send address changes to FloraCulture FloraCulture International (ISSN1051-9076) is published monthly.Worldwide distribution. be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher. Publisher is not liable International magazine, P.O.Box 82, 1850 ABAllHeiloo, theNetherlands. © Quality, innovation, sustainability and logistics are words that 2009 FloraCulture International magazine. rights No portion of editorial may by Ron van for advertisements using illegally obtained images. Sendreserved. address changes to FloraCulture FloraCulture International (ISSN1051-9076) is published monthly.Worldwide distribution. der Ploeg be in anyInternational form without written permission of the publisher. Publisher is not may liable © reproducedmagazine, often appear in our editorial. Th is isand a compliment you, the International P.O.Box 82, 1850 AB theNetherlands. 2009 FloraCulture magazine. AllHeiloo, rights reserved. No portion of editorial FloraCulture International (ISSN1051-9076) is published monthly.Worldwide distribution. Quality, innovation, sustainability logistics aretowords that for advertisements using illegally obtained images. Sendof address changes Publisher to FloraCulture © be reproduced in any form without written permission theofpublisher. is not liable fl oriculture industry; the interviewees and contributors remain 2009 FloraCulture International magazine. All rights reserved. No portion editorial may often appear in our editorial. Th is is a compliment to you, the International magazine, P .O.Box 82, 1850 AB Heiloo, theNetherlands. advertisements using illegally obtained images. changes FloraCulture Quality,on innovation, and“what logistics areTh words that FloraCulture International B.V.Send address focused “what cansustainability be”interviewees rather than isn’t”. e cut flower e reproduced inforany form without written permission of the publisher. 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To mark the occasion Aldo T (31) 72 53 23 522 F (31) 72 53 23 521 the and bedding plant growers with the spring sunshine having P .O.Box 82, 1850 AB Heiloo, the Netherlands T (31) 34 84 31 393 F (31) 34 84 32 552 info@fbw-woerden.nl market is diffi cult, but a glimpse of relief is being experienced by FloraCulture International B.V. Working backwards in this issue; in East Africa, Ethiopia’s focused on “what can be” rather than “what isn’t”. Th e cut fl ower der Ploeg 3440 AP Woerden, the Netherlands Colombo travelled down to Albenga, Italy where he satby down with potted Ron van 82, 1850 Circulation Administration: FBW Woerden made well-timed appearance Europe. T (31) 53International 23Evans 522Netherlands F(anabel@fl (31) 72 53 23 521 P.O. Box 612, Editors: Anabel oracultureinternational.com) the potabut and bedding plant growers with the spring sunshine having P.O.Box AB 72 Heiloo, the explosive flaoriculture growth being reined back, but in another market is diffi cult, glimpse of relief isisin being experienced FloraCulture T (31) 34 84 31 393 F (31) 34 84 32 552 info@fbw-woerden.nl der Ploeg Working backwards in this issue; in East Africa, Ethiopia’s Dennis plant andbedding patioa well-timed plant growers Tiziana Busnardo and Barbara di Tommaso AP(31) Woerden, the521 Netherlands Ron van Circulation Administration: FBW Woerden P.O. 313, Box 612, Ron van der Ploeg (ron@fl oracultureinternational.com) made appearance in Europe. T (31) 72 53 Business 233440 522 F 72 53 23 snippet of news received from David Gray it appears that the pot and plant growers with the spring sunshine having address: ECA Office 140-21, Legmeerdijk Seriese explosive floriculture growth is being reined back, but in another der Ploeg Hedd Alwyn Editors: Anabel Evans (anabel@floracultureinternational.com) of Thalia Flor, a company which run by women only. Page 40.if T (31)AP 34team: 84 31 393Woerden F (31) 34 84Box 32 552 Working backwards in thisis issue; in East Africa, Ethiopia’s 3440 Woerden, the Netherlands Dennis Editorial Edward Bent, Chris Beytes, Lotte Bjarke, Arturo Croci, made Circulation Administration: FBW P.O. 612,info@fbw-woerden.nl logistics East received Africa are receiving boost. He writes that Hughes a well-timed in Europe. 1431 RonGB vanAalsmeer der Ploeg (ron@floracultureinternational.com) snippetappearance ofinnews from DavidaGray it appears that Seriese Editors: Anabel Evans (anabel@fl oracultureinternational.com) explosive backwards floriculture growth is being reined back, but in another T (31) 34Netherlands 84Postbus 31David 393 1081, FGray, (31)1430 34 84BB 32Aalsmeer 552 info@fbw-woerden.nl Hans De Vries, Kerry Herndon, Helen Moody, Working in this issue; in East Africa, Ethiopia’s 3440 AP Woerden, the infrastructure, communications and transport are the key Postal address: Editorial team: Edward Bent, Chris Beytes, Lotte Bjarke, Arturo Croci, in East Africa are receiving a boost. He writes thattoifthe Dennis In lieubackwards oflogistics Mother's Day, Russians everywhere celebrate International Ron der Ploeg snippet of received from Gray itin appears that Editors: Evans oracultureinternational.com) Petitjean, Marta Pizano, Leaora Policar, Jennifer White Working explosive oriculture growth isDavid being reined back, but in T (31) 34 84 T 31Marie-Françoise 393van F Anabel (31) 84(ron@fl 32(anabel@fl 552oracultureinternational.com) info@fbw-woerden.nl development ofcommunications horticulture and economies general theanother news inflnews this issue; in East Africa, Ethiopia’s Seriese (31) 297 76934 095 Hans De Vries, David Gray, Kerry Herndon, Helen Moody, infrastructure, and transport are the key to the Dennis Women's Day. This day isis marked by the giving ofappears presents – often Editorial team: Edward Bent, Chris Beytes, Lotte Bjarke, Arturo Croci, explosive logistics in East Africa arefrom receiving aGray boost. He writes that ifnew Ron van der Ploeg (ron@fl oracultureinternational.com) Founding editor: Debbie Hamrick snippet of news received David it that Editors: Anabel Evans (anabel@fl oracultureinternational.com) of: new roads linking Addis Ababa with Nairobi; a proposed fl oriculture growth being reined back, but in another Seriese FBW Woerden P.O. Box 612, Circulation Administration: Marie-Françoise Petitjean, Marta Pizano, Leaora Policar, Jennifer White development of horticulture and economies in general the news Claudia Dennis flowers - logistics to mothers, grandmothers, and wives. There’s athe good chance Hans De team: Vries, David Gray, HelenBjarke, Moody, infrastructure, communications and are to Editorial Edward Bent,Kerry ChrisHerndon, Beytes, Lotte Arturo Croci, snippet Cover: Pack Trials in East Africa areGray receiving atransport boost. He writes that ifthe Ron van der Ploeg (ron@fl oracultureinternational.com) railway line on the Kenyan Coast from Addis Ababa tokey Lamu; a of news received from David it appears that Stokreef 3440 APCalifornia Woerden, the Netherlands Seriese Founding editor: Debbie Hamrick of: new roads linking Addis Ababa with Nairobi; a proposed new that over theAfrica next few years allTanzania these special women will be key offered more Petitjean, Marta Pizano, Leaora Policar, Jennifer White logistics Marie-Françoise development of horticulture and economies in general the news Claudia Hans De Vries, David Gray, Kerry Herndon, Helen Moody, Publisher: FloraCulture International B.V. infrastructure, communications and transport are the to the Editorial team: Edward Bent, Chris Beytes, Lotte Bjarke, Arturo Croci, new railway line from to Uganda; Delta Airlines about in East are receiving a boost. He writes that if T (31) 34 84 31 393 F (31) 34 84 32 552 info@fbw-woerden.nl Angie Cover: California Pack Trials railway line onasthe Kenyanglasshouse Coast fromindustry Addis Ababa tothe Lamu; a of Stokreef locally grown flowers Russia’s is on verge Founding editor: Debbie Hamrick Duffree of: new roads linking Addis Ababa with Nairobi; a proposed new Petitjean, Marta Pizano, Leaora Policar, Jennifer White Marie-Françoise (jaap@fl oracultureinternational.com) development of horticulture and economies in general the news Hans De Vries, David Gray, Kerry Herndon, Helen Moody, to start direct fl ights between Nairobi and Atlanta; a deal between infrastructure, and transport the key to the Editors: Ron van der Ploeg (ron@floracultureinternational.com) Publisher: FloraCulture International B.V. Claudia newcommunications railway lineplanned from Tanzania to are Uganda; Delta Airlines about big changes due to the implementation of a series of large-scale Cover: Pack railway line onlinking the Coast Addis Ababa tothe Lamu; a Founding Debbie Hamrick TPetitjean, (31) California 20 editor: 61 82 666 FTrials (31) 20 61 81 333 of: new roads Addis Ababa with Nairobi; afor proposed new Stokreef Marta Pizano, Leaora Policar, Jennifer White Marie-Françoise Kenya’s Astral Aviation and Etihad Crystal Cargo Nairobidevelopment ofstart horticulture andKenyan economies infrom general the news Editorial Chris Beytes, Lotte Bjarke, Arturo Croci, (jaap@flteam: oracultureinternational.com) to direct fl ights between Nairobi and Atlanta; a deal between Claudia projects, recently announced bya private investors. Publisher: FloraCulture International B.V. new railway line from Tanzania Uganda; Delta about Cover: California Pack Trials Printer: Hollandia Printing, Heerhugowaard line on the Kenyan from Addis Ababa to Lamu; a Founding editor: Debbie Hamrick Abu Dhabi route; should allCoast havetopositive effCargo ects onAirlines the economic of:investment new roadsrailway linking Addis Ababa with Nairobi; proposed new Stokreef Audrey Gerber, Marie-Françoise Petitjean, John Sutton, T (31) 20 61 82 666 F (31) 20 61 81 333 Kenya’s Astral Aviation and Etihad Crystal for the NairobiClaudia Meanwhile, local entrepreneurs have announced plans to buildbetween large ArturoCalifornia (jaap@fl oracultureinternational.com) to start direct flCoast ights between Nairobi and Atlanta; a deal Publisher: FloraCulture International B.V. Designer: Hollandia Media Productions new railway line from Tanzania to Uganda; Delta Airlines about Cover: Pack Trials development of East Africa in the medium to long term. railway line on the Kenyan from Addis Ababa to Lamu; a Stokreef Jennifer Zurko and Alicja Cecot. Croci Printer: Hollandia Printing, Heerhugowaard Abuoperations Dhabi route; shouldproduction all have positive ects onYug theAgro, economic greenhouse for ofAirlines cuteff roses. for T (31) 20 61Bas 82 Kohler 666 F B.V. (31) 20 61 81 333 Kenya’s Astral and Etihad Crystal Cargo for the Nairobi(jaap@fl oracultureinternational.com) Cartoonist: start direct flAviation ightsthe between Nairobi and Atlanta; a deal between Publisher: International Arturo FloraCulture new railway to line from Tanzania to Uganda; Delta about Founding editor: DebbieMedia Hamrick Designer: Hollandia Productions development of East Africa in the medium to long term. 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Angie DuffreeFloraCulture (angie@fl oracultureinternational.com) 50 affi liated companies. And substrates control of growth selling however, especially for those Dutch rose growers International, FloraCulture International B.V. special. The RHP Foundation is guiding theproducts, “will to improve” Marta Pizathemed on pot plants, cut flowers, nursery stock marketof (claudia@fl Quality isfrom also the message ofconditions. our substrates Offi ce address: Manager: Claudia Stokreef T (31)72 53oracultureinternational.com) 2361 522 F (31) 72 53622321 521 63 03 99 450 T(31)20 61 82 (31)20 81 333 M(31) 65M 220(31)313, is our overwhelming sight, the crop protection series by Louise whose existence is being threatened byAnd current economic node Marquez Business ECA Office 140-21, Legmeerdijk P666 .O. F Box 82, 1850 AB Heiloo, the Netherlands 50hidden affi liated companies. where substrates control of growth developments, greenhouse technology, floristry trends, transport, Marta PizaFloraCulture International B.V. special. Th e RHP is guiding the to improve” of (claudia@fl oracultureinternational.com) Italy, Southern France: Quality is also theFoundation overwhelming message of “will our substrates OffiMarquez ce Manager: Claudia Labuschagne on sustainable programs to assist in optimum 1431 GB Aalsmeer node T (31)72 53Stokreef 23 522 F (31) 72 53 23 521 M (31) 63 03 99 450 is hidden fromfocuses our sight, the crop protection series by Louise automation and innovation. Marta PizaWilliam oracultureinternational.com) P.O. Box 82, 1850 AB Heiloo, the Netherlands 50 the affi liated companies. And where control ofin growth FloraCulture International B.V. Arturo Croci (arturo@fl oracultureinternational.com) special. 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LB Text & Idé, Søndervej 10, 8350 Hundslund, Denmark T(45) 21 48 75with 30 the vision Miami: William Armellini(William@fl oracultureinternational.com) of Priva, whose accomplishments have been rewarded with the Scandinavia: Lotte Bjarke oracultureinternational.com) eCommerce since streamlining of shipments is subject a key outcome and hard work ofthe Meiny Prins, managing director Paul Scandinavia: (post@lottebjarke.dk) T (57) 15 (lotte@fl 30Lotte 20 36Bjarke F (57) 12 36 25 54 hortitec@unete.com Sustainability crosses over into logistics under the of to FlowersExpoSURE magazine will be distributed predominantly Black Horti Tecnia Ltda., Calle 85 No20-25 Of.T(45) 202B,21 Bogotá, Colombia South America: Marta Pizano deDenmark Marquez (marta@fl oracultureinternational.com) USA, Canada, Central America: Businesswoman of the Year award. LB Text & Idé, 10, 8350 Hundslund, 48 75 30 resulting from using this tool. 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T Horti (45) 21 48(pblack@ballpublishing.com) 75 30 BlackAmerica: USA, Canada, Central America: resulting from using thisCrocus tool.virtual Auctions around the world 17-19, also is set to take place at Moscow’s Expo from September Paul Miami: William Armellini(William@fl oracultureinternational.com) eCommerce since the streamlining of shipments is subject a key outcome T (57) 1585 30No20-25 20 36 FAmerica: (57)202B, 12 36 25Publishing, 54 hortitec@unete.com (lnicholas@ballpublishing.com) Ball 622 Town Road, Sustainability crosses over into logistics under the ofthe Horti Tecnia Ltda., Calle Of. Bogotá, Colombia behind; FloraHolland persists in its ambition to strengthen USA, Canada, Central Black Paul Black (pblack@ballpublishing.com) Lucas Nicholas facilitate direct sales and the virtualInternational world is not leaving them Lucas 2014. 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T (91) 20 302 52 000 Eyal T (81) 33 32 75 756 F (81) 33 32 27 933 are another institution that have a long history in Niranjan EMS Inc., 2-22-8 Setagaya-ku,Tokyo 156-0043, Japan California Trials, which, like theCalifornia, auctions, Japan: Yoshikawa (callems@world.odn.ne.jp) Policar South Africa: Cilla Lowen (cilla@fl oracultureinternational.com) has Pack a in well-penned article bringing to life the T (972) 54 42 97 002 FEiji (972) 86Matsubara, 58 19 07 To end at theBeytes beginning, the Sunshine State of Deshpande East Africa: David Gray (gray@africaonline.co.ke) presenting innovative ideas and quality products.Chris Eyal T 33 32 75 756 (81)22 33Setagaya-ku,Tokyo 32 27 933 are anotherPack institution that have a long history in EMS 2-22-8 Matsubara, 156-0043, Japan T (81) (27)Inc., 22 4857058 FF(27) 4857415 California Trials, which, the Japan: (callems@world.odn.ne.jp) PolicarEiji Yoshikawa Beytes has a well-penned article bringing tolike life the auctions, South Africa: Cilla Lowen (cilla@floracultureinternational.com) Eiji Eyal East Africa: David Gray (gray@africaonline.co.ke) presenting innovative ideas and products. T (81) 33 32 75 756 F (81) 33 32156-0043, 27 933 Japan are another institution that havequality a long history in EMS Inc., 2-22-8 Matsubara, Setagaya-ku,Tokyo Anabel Evans, Editor California Pack Trials, which, like the auctions, Yoshikawa Policar T (27) 22 4857058 F (27) 22 4857415 FloraCulture International (ISSN1051-9076) is published monthly. Eiji 33 32 75South Cilla Lowen (cilla@floracultureinternational.com) East (gray@africaonline.co.ke) presentingthat innovative ideashistory and quality products. T (81) 756Africa: FAfrica: (81)David 33 32 Gray 27 933 are another institution have a long in Worldwide distribution. ©2009 FloraCulture International magazine. Anabel Evans, Editor Yoshikawa All rights No portion of editorial may be reproduced in any T (27)Africa: 22 4857058 F reserved. (27) 22 4857415 FloraCulture International (ISSN1051-9076) is published monthly. South Cilla Lowen (cilla@fl oracultureinternational.com) East presenting innovative ideas and quality products. EijiAfrica: David Gray (gray@africaonline.co.ke) form without written permission of the publisher. Publisher is not Worldwide distribution. ©2009 FloraCulture International magazine. Anabel Evans, Editor T (27) 4857058 F reserved. (27) 4857415 liable for22 advertisements using22 illegally obtained images. may Sendbe address changes to Yoshikawa South Africa: Cilla Lowen (cilla@fl oracultureinternational.com) All rights No portion of editorial reproduced in any FloraCulture International (ISSN1051-9076) is published monthly. Eiji FloraCulture International magazine, P.O.Box 82,1850 Heiloo, the Netherlands. form without written permission of theAB publisher. Publisher is not Anabel Evans, Editor distribution. ©2009 FloraCulture International magazine. T (27) 22 4857058 Ffor(27) 22Worldwide 4857415 Yoshikawa liable advertisements using illegally obtained images. Send address changes to Cilla Lowen Eiji FloraCulture International (ISSN1051-9076) is published monthly. All rights reserved. No portion of editorial may be reproduced in any FloraCulture International magazine, P.O.Box 82,1850 AB Heiloo, the Netherlands. Worldwide distribution. ©2009 FloraCulture International magazine. oshikawa form without written permission of the publisher. Publisher is notAnabel Evans, Editor International isispublished monthly. FloraCulture International (ISSN1051-9076) published monthly. All rights(ISSN1051-9076) reserved. No portion of editorial may reproduced in any liable for advertisements using illegally obtained images. Sendbe address changes to Cilla Lowen FloraCulture Worldwide distribution. ©2009 FloraCulture International magazine.
Editorial & Administration Offices Editorial & Administration Offices ‘Concordia res&parvae crescunt’ Editorial Administration Offices Editorial & Administration Offices Editorial & Administration Offices Editorial & Administration Offices
With compliments With compliments With compliments
Advertising Sales Offices Advertising Sales Offices Advertising Sales Offices Advertising Sales Offices Advertising Sales Offices Advertising Sales Offices
Worldwide distribution. ©2014 FloraCulture International magazine. form without written permission of theAB publisher. is not FloraCulture International magazine, P.O.Box 82,1850 Heiloo, Publisher the Netherlands. All rights No ofofillegally editorial may in any All rights reserved. Noportion portion editorialobtained maybe bereproduced reproduced liable forreserved. advertisements using images. Send address changes to form without written permission of theP.O.Box publisher. Publisher not the Netherlands. inFloraCulture any form without written permission of the 82,1850 publisher. International magazine, AB is Heiloo, liable for advertisements illegally obtained images.obtained Send address changes to Publisher is not liable for using advertisements using illegally images. Cilla Lowen FloraCulture International P.O.Box 82,1850magazine, AB Heiloo, the Netherlands. Send address changes tomagazine, FloraCulture International Postal address: Postbus 6001554_06_Colofon.indd 6 1081, 1430 BB Aalsmeer, the Netherlands. illa Lowen
Cilla Lowen
Ron van der Ploeg, editor ron@floracultureinternational.com
6001554_06_Colofon.indd 6 6001554_06_Colofon.indd 6 6001554_06_Colofon.indd 6
06_Colofon.indd 6
27-04-2009 13:08:58 27-04-2009 13:08:58
27-04-2009 13:08:58 March 2014 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com 7 27-04-2009 13:08:58
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Russia
Greenhouse operation near the city of Ufa, in the republic of Bashkortostan.
The Russian industry of vegetable greenhouse growing is on the verge of big changes due to the planned implementation of a series of large-scale investment projects, recently announced by private investors.
Russian greenhouse farming on the verge of big changes
T
he conditions for the implementation of these projects will be created by the national government, which has recently decided to provide support to domestic greenhouse farming within the State Programme of the Development of Agriculture.
Deterioration
by Eugene Gerden
www.FloraCulture.eu | March 2014
In recent years, the situation in Russian greenhouse farming has significantly deteriorated. Many vegetable and flower greenhouses have closed, mainly due to low
profitability and high production costs. Most of the greenhouses in Russia were built in the 1970s, and, so far, have not been modernised. The lack of modern equipment and the ever growing tariffs costs have resulted in the production of vegetables and flowers in Russian greenhouses becoming unprofitable. During Soviet times, greenhouses were built not only close to the cities and towns, but also within the territory of almost every big industrial enterprise. By the 1980s
the total area of greenhouses in the USSR amounted to 4,700 hectares, with many research institutes and laboratories being involved in the development and introduction of new agricultural technologies, greenhouse equipment and selection.
Current status
Since that time the area devoted to greenhouse growing in Russia has decreased by 2.5 times and continues to decline. According to data of the Russian Ministry
of Agriculture, greenhouse vegetables account for 25% of the total consumption among local citizens. Cucumbers account for the majority of greenhouse production with about 70%. At the same time the production of some vegetables popular in Russia, in particular peppers, aubergines and even radishes, is almost absent. At the beginning of last year only two large producers of vegetables in greenhouses remained: Ug (south) Agro Industrial Complex (Karachay-Cherkessia) and Moscovsky Agro Industrial Complex. The majority of the other factories, so far, have already been closed, while those that are still working were built in 1970s and their performance is about six times lower than that of modern greenhouses.
Priority
The catastrophic situation in the industry has not attracted the attention of the government for a long time, despite the fact that many leading Russian greenhouse growers have repeatedly called upon the Ministry of Agriculture to receive state support. However, there is a possibility that a lot will change in the near future. Following a long period of deliberation by the government, greenhouse farming has finally been included in the state programme for ‘Development
of Russian Agriculture Industry until 2020’. This means that it will be included in the list of sectors of Russian agriculture, whose development will be a priority for the government.
Russia’s re-emerging greenhouse industry is creating jobs for Russian workers.
Greenhouse production in Kazan, the capital and largest city of the republic of Tatarstan.
According to state plans, there is a need to create conditions for profitable greenhouse farming in Russia and the attraction of investors. The latter is expected to take place through the provision of cheap loans, with the subsidies of up to two-thirds of the interest rates. In addition, there are plans to provide subsidies for the building of greenhouses of 50% of the total cost of construction as well as 50% for the purchase of equipment and 30% on costs for gas and electricity for greenhouse until 2020. Finally, there are also plans to compensate up to 100% of the costs of the supply of electricity to greenhouses, which is very important for Russia, given its vast territory and traditional shortage of energy.
Great interest from investors
The first subsidies and compensations were provided by investors in
>>>
March 2014 | www.FloraCulture.eu
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Russia
the spring of 2013 through large Russian banks such as Sberbank, Gazprombank, and MasterBank. As expected, the announced state plans for the support of national greenhouse farming have already attracted a great interest from private Russian businesses which have already declared their intention to make investments in the industry. As of today, such intentions have been declared by many major Russian businessmen, including the well-known Russian billionaires, Oleg Deripaska (Basic Element Group), Vladimir Potanin (Norilsk Nickel), Michael Friedman (Alfa Group) and Victor Budarin (Kuban Credit bank).
Agroinvestproekt
According to the calculations of Agroinvestproekt, one of the leading Russian companies
www.FloraCulture.eu | March 2014
Dedicated workforce in Russian greenhouse.
involved in the construction of greenhouses in the country, the total value of announced projects has already exceeded $2.5 billion, of which at least 10% has already been invested. Perhaps the biggest project in the industry will be implemented by Agroinvestproekt. It involves building a large greenhouse near the city of Suzdal that is designed to grow 39,000 tons of vegetables a year. At the initial stage the new complex will have an area of 26 ha and there are plans to expand it by 50 hectares. The total cost of the project is 15 billion (USD $ 500 million) and it was commissioned by July 2013. In addition to Agroinvestproekt’s project, a 3 ha greenhouse complex will be built by Russian giant Norilsk Nickel by the end of this year. It is expected that the new
greenhouse will supply the whole city of Norilsk with its products: its production capacity for cucumbers alone will be more than 2400 tons.
Vodka king
At the same time another major project will be jointly implemented by the Russian vodka king, Oleg Plohutoy (co-owner of Russian alcohol producer Vinexim) and billionaire, Mikhail Friedman (owner of the financial conglo merate Alfa Group). The project, which involves the construction of several greenhouses probably in one of the southern regions of the country, costs 8 billion (USD$240 million) and will be finished by the summer current year. The new greenhouses will have an area of 45 hectares. The majority of future production of the new greenhouses are currently
supplied the largest Russian supermarket chains. There is also the possibility that greenhouses could be built by some leading Russian food retailers, in particular Magnit, who are considering the implementation of these projects in the Krasnodar region, Dinskoy District. Investors expect a good return on the projects. According to estimates of Agroinvestproekt, operating margins of modern greenhouse farms could be 40-50%.
Potential problems
At the same time, Russian analysts believe that one of the potential problems that may prevent rapid development of greenhouses in Russia is the lack of specialists that can operate these greenhouses, particularly agronomists who can work in modern greenhouses. Alex Kurenin, a senior analyst for Grodan Russia, the world-wide leader in helping commercial soilless growers of fruit, flowers and vegetables commented, “In recent months many potential investors, for which greenhouse farming is not a core sphere of activities, came to the industry. The majority of them focus primarily on the commercial component of the business and its economic feasibility. The success of a business and its investment attractiveness will be judged by those investors based on the actual volume of consumer demand. If this demand declines due to general economic instability of the Russian society, a large part of the potential investors may withdraw from the greenhouse business.� Meanwhile, most workers for the new greenhouses are expected to be recruited from Holland, Italy, Spain and other countries. Much of the equipment for the greenhouses is also to be expected to be imported from abroad.
600 tons of vegetables a year, with imports estimated at 1200 tonnes). Moreover by 2020, according to forecasts of the Russian Ministry of Agriculture, the total area of Russian greenhouses is expected to reach 4,700 hectares and the production of greenhouse vegetables is expected to increase to 1.7 million tons per year.
Commercial greenhouse tomato production in Russia includes cluster and beefsteak tomatoes.
Cut flowers
At the same time, in addition to greenhouse vegetable growing, cut flower growing has also attracted an interest from potential investors. This is evidenced by a number of investment projects, announced in recent years.
In addition to foreign investors, new greenhouse facilities for growing roses may soon be launched by some local producers. For example, local Yug Agro recently launched a new greenhouse with a total area of 18 hectares in the Mostovsky district of the Krasnodar region, which will grow up to 25 different varieties of roses. The production of cut flowers in Russia has significantly increased in recent years. Between 2008 and 2011 the annual growth rate was 23%. This was mainly due to the commissioning of new greenhouses and the newly built commercial greenhouses reaching full production capacity. |||
Forecasts
Successful implementation of the projects will help to increase the total area of greenhouses for growing vegetables, mushrooms and flowers in Russia by at least 500 hectares by 2015, compared with the current 1,840 hectares (producing about
Greenhouses in a snowcovered landscape.
March 2014 | www.FloraCulture.eu
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Auctions The Danish ornamental horticulture industry it is ready to take action against the anti-competitive behaviour of Dutch flower auction FloraHolland.
Danes preparing to flex their muscles over FloraHolland row
I by Lotte Bjarke
FloraHolland’s response In response to the letter which the Danish ornamental horticulture industry sent to the Dutch competition authority NMA, spokesman Lex van Horssen has made the following statement, “We are familiar with the subject and took the time to read what the Danes have to say. Last year the issue was discussed several times with members and non-members, and that’s where it should stay. At this point, we'd like to refrain from any further comment.”
n a letter to the Dutch competition authoriy NMA, set up to enforce competition and make markets work well for the benefit of consumers, Denmark’s principal trade associations Danish Horticulture and Danish Oranmental expressed their concerns and questions about the ongoing dominant presence of FloraHolland on the European market. There are good reasons to believe that FloraHolland is breaking the European rules of competition.
Anti-competitive
It is the frustrated chairman of Danish Ornamentals, Jørgen Andersen, who on behalf of the Danish pot plant industry is trying to get through to FloraHolland, the Dutch giant, who continues to play a dominant role on the European flower and plant market. Since the start of the New Year, the rules for the use of the auction clock by external suppliers have been changed drastically for a number of selected plants. This is not only affecting Danmark but also other countries, such as Germany,
Quotes from the letter ”On behalf of Danish Horticulture I shall hereby inform you about FloraHolland’s breach of the competition rules on the Dutch and EU floricultural market.”(...) ”It is the belief that the recent new terms of FloraHolland have been introduced intentionally to limit competition and increase prices on the Dutch and EU floricultural market.” (...) ”FloraHolland has introduced new terms which significantly reduce the possibility of the members of Danish Horticulture to be viable players on the market in question and thereby restrict competition on the floricultural market to the disadvantage of the consumers. Furthermore, FloraHolland has allegedly suggested to its members, who are competitors, to limit production volumes in order to maintain a higher price level.”(...)
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www.FloraCulture.eu | March 2014
Danish Horticulture is the industry association for the Danish Horticultural trade representing the political interest of approximately 500 members. Danish Ornamentals is the trade association of Danish pot plant growers and exporters represented politically by Danish Horticulture. Jørgen Andersen.
Belgium and Kenya. On top of that, FloraHolland is expecting that the new rules will be implemented following a test period for the most products sold by the clock. “Among Danish growers we feel that FloraHolland is taking advantage of its strong role on the European market and we find that to be anti-competitive. That is why we have informed the Dutch authorities to point out that we believe FloraHolland is breaking the European rules of competition,” explained Jørgen Andersen. He added, “The main goal of this action is to get into dialogue with FloraHolland. To be honest, we are
really annoyed that FloraHolland will not even discuss the matter. And we find the deadlines they are implementing completely out of line,” outlined Jørgen Andersen.
Joint international efforts
Danish Ornamentals is now in dialogue with growers in Germany, Belgium and Kenya in order to establish joint efforts against the Dutch giant. “We have to express our beliefs and we have to show our will to take action. On top of everything, FloraHolland has now excluded Danish growers from their trade shows. This means that we have to make our own trade fairs in order to show Danish and hopefully also plants of other nationalities in the future. It is an emergency solution, but when dialogue is out of the question we have to take action ourselves,” underlined Jørgen Andersen. The Dutch NMA has invited the Danish growers to a telephone meeting and is now investigating the dispute. The management of FloraHolland, who received a copy of the letter to the NMA, which was written by a leading Danish law firm specialising in trade, issued a statement (see box). |||
World News United States/ The Netherlands PMA announce Fresh Connections Conference The Produce Marketing Association (PMA) is proud to announce its Fresh Connections conference which is designed to provide insight into the latest consumer and retail trends that are reshaping the global fresh produce and floral industry. The event is scheduled for 29 April at the Hilton hotel in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. This event will address critical strategic questions, including: • What are the global consumer and retail trends impacting Western European countries? • As an importer, how does Europe compare against China, the Middle East, India, and other developing markets competing for the same products? • Are there shifts in the traditional export markets for Europe’s products? • How will advances in technology transform the fresh produce supply chain? International and local experts at Fresh Connections: Netherlands will answer these questions and more. Importers, exporters, input suppliers, retailers, logistics companies, industry bodies, government officials and other sectors of the fresh produce and floral supply chain doing business in or interested in doing business in Europe are expected to attend. If you wish to grow your business in the European market and take advantage of opportunities created by new trends, Fresh Connections: Netherlands will broaden your perspective on the possibilities. You will gain insight on business practices, cultural nuances, consumer strategies and more – for optimal results and profitability. You’ll walk away with ‘big picture’ implications for your business. Register for Fresh Connections: Netherlands at www.pma.com/fc-netherlands by 24 April, 2014. |||
Dutch Comfort
by Jaap N. Kras
Business culture The week before Valentine’s Day, FloraHolland suffered a four-day strike. Since September last year, 50 auction-based floral wholesalers – customers of FloraHolland – opposed a rise in tariffs and asked the court of justice to intervene. Meanwhile, Denmark’s principal horticultural trade associations wrote a letter to the Dutch competition authority to express their concerns and anger after FloraHolland increased its tariffs for non-members. Just like the Danes also Dutch nursery stock, large tropical plant and bedding plant growers, are facing the auction’s revised policy, which gives priority to full grower members. Considering the ‘structural problems’ with employees, customers and loyal suppliers, the pertinent question is what is going wrong at FloraHolland? Overall, the auction seems to forget that growers sell their products through the auction not just for their own convenience. As a matter of fact, in the past the auction actively recruited as its policy in those days was to attract as many growers as possible in order to present the buyers with the largest and widest range of products. New technologies simplify direct selling to customers further in the supply chain. At the same time auction costs are structurally too high compared to alternative sale channels. If a grower can sell his product directly to his client’s customer, the profit margin will be higher, the costs lower and time will be shorter. For over 100 years, auction members, were kind enough to sell their flowers and plants under the auction clock. The auction offered services for which both growers and wholesalers were willing to pay. But fundamental change is underway. For me personally it’s a kind of déjà vu as I dubbed this business process a Greek tragedy back in the 1980s. A unity of place, time and handling will not last forever as I already warned then. So the big question is whether FloraHolland will be remembered in the history books in the same way as manufacturers of steam trains, lady’s nylons and all the other companies which have been overtaken by modern times and new technologies? Not necessarily, on the condition that FloraHolland sticks to its primary task: being a growers cooperative striving for the highest price for the products. However, the auction should also realise that their own business culture is among their biggest enemies. For a 100 years they have sat and waited until the grower brings his flowers and plants. This should urgently be replaced by a much more proactive approach with FloraHolland proving that working together in sales brings the growers a better result than acting on their own. I doubt whether within the auction walls people are aware of the problem. For people coming from the past this might be even too difficult to understand. Hard times ahead.
Jaap N. Kras jaap@floracultureinternational.com
March 2014 | www.FloraCulture.eu
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USA You know it’s chilly in South Florida when the locals shiver in their Christmas sweaters. Meanwhile, visitors from the north luxuriated in the relatively balmy 16C temperatures on the opening day of the annual Tropical Plant Industry Exhibition in Ft. Lauderdale.
TPIE starts the year B Story and photos by Chris Beytes
ut inside the Broward County Convention Center it was all warm smiles, as 6,124 attendees (up about 5% from 2013) kicked off the 2014 North American trade show season. TPIE is not the first show of the year, but it is the first that can be considered national, if not international, with visitors from 45 different countries in attendance, and exhibitors
representing 10 different countries, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. TPIE is a good show at which to gauge the mood of the industry as we enter a new season. The overall feeling was of great optimism in spite of the recent Arctic blasts and heavy snows that had blighted much of the Northeast and Mid-
west this winter. The consensus in such situations is that a hard winter leads to spring fever and an extra-enthusiastic gardening public – if spring weather cooperates, of course. This was a good year for plant introductions, but an equally good year for plant packaging – ways to make plants more interesting, appealing or useful to consumers. |||
Calathea Fusion White Far and away the favourite new plant introduction was Calathea Fusion White from Biostok of Apopka, Florida. It earned three awards: Favorite New Foliage Plant, Most Unusual Single Plant Specimen and a Cool Product Award. Fusion White comes from the Malaysian hometown of Biostok’s Darren Yam, where he found it and brought it here to put into tissue culture. Compared to other Calatheas, it has lots of side shoots, for a very full plant. The foliage has striking marble variegation, with purple backsides. Darren says it is relatively easy to grow, and it grows fast, he says, because of the multiple shoots. |||
www.FloraCulture.eu | March 2014
off in style in South Florida Fatsia Spider Web Fatsia Spider Web comes from famous Heuchera breeder Terra Nova Nurseries, but is now being offered exclusively by Oglesby Plants International. It is a Zone 7 perennial that will also take tremendous heat – it passed the Dallas Arboretum’s “Perennials for Purgatory” trials with flying colors. It grows to 5 ft. tall in the landscape. |||
Complete Garden Vegetable gardening is hot right now, and Garden Marketplace (a division of Lakeland, Florida’s, Sunshine Growers) has created Complete Garden, a stylish garden in a box, complete with seed, soil, pots and fertilizers. Combining these ingredients into a kit isn’t new; what we like best is the modern look of the packaging’s graphics. |||
Silver Vase Orchids remain a staple at TPIE. Silver Vase of Homestead, Florida, has added a line of Vanda orchids – the first large-scale commercial production of Vandas, they say. Normally a hanging orchid, they are marketing them in an acrylic cylinder which provides the climate the plant likes. To water, consumers just fill until the roots are covered, let soak 30 minutes, then drain. |||
March 2014 | www.FloraCulture.eu
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USA What William Armellini says about TPIE 2014 Our monthly columnist shines his light on this year’s TPIE. “This show continues to be one of the most consistent that I have ever attended. There were no official numbers ready as of this writing but there was not much room on the show floor for more booths. The early report was that attendance was up over last year. With the freezing weather in most of the US this is not a big surprise even if Miami was in the 50's. I believe that having this show at the same time and place every year has been good for the industry. Buyers and vendors both can plan their trips to attend with certainty knowing the other will be there. This show is not quite as hectic as a floral show perhaps because plants grow slower than flowers or maybe it is just the nature of the show and those that attend. As I travelled up and down the aisles I ran into old friends and many of them asked what I saw around the show. The answer was simply one word ‘orchids’. Each year we have seen more and more vendors showing orchids and this year was no exception. There were at least 25 booths containing or totally showing orchids. There were only a few other categories with as much concentration of one product. Air plants and succulents make for very attractive displays and as expected at a plant show there were big trees and trucks to help keep things in perspective. The mood in the room was positive and good to see after a few years of uncertainty. The plant industry appears to be in good condition and that is good bell weather for the economy in general.” |||
Miniature gardening Take the old foliage dish garden, combine it with a terrarium, add in a bit of fairy or miniature gardening, and you get “Plantscapes”, from Flori-Design of Eustis, Florida. Designer Gail Cash creates miniature gardens in glass containers, which can be reused in the home once the garden is no longer wanted. These won a Cool Product Award – Gail’s second in two years. |||
Live Trends When European products make their way to the States, TPIE is often their first stop. Bisser Georgiev, managing partner in SK USA, has formed a new company, Live Trends, to develop and distribute trendy plant products designed specifically for the urban dweller – the “upwardly mobile young crowd,” Bisser says. His first seven products come from a Danish designer – they’re not new designs, per se, but they are definitely new to the U.S. The rate at which he sold out shows the demand for these kinds of products from buyers. Live Trends earned a Cool Product Award and a Best Show Theme award. |||
GrowerTalks To see the GrowerTalks video of the Cool New Products from TPIE, go to www.youtube.com/growertalks Chris Beytes is editor of GrowerTalks/ Green Profit and contributing editor of FloraCulture International.
www.FloraCulture.eu | March 2014
by William Armellini
Miami
Bar codes
By now, we are familiar with those rows of black lines that are on everything we buy. They are most useful for managing inventory, data exchange, logistics and pricing, allowing companies to be more efficient. These little stickers are packed with information and if done correctly provide a wealth of information to be used all along the distribution chain.
Trying to understand how they work is another story. Contained in those clever lines and numbers is data that can reveal a lot about what's inside the box, who the manufacturer is, the number of units inside, the price, and other information that would help identify where the box came from and where it is going.
Just Add Ice Orchids Just Add Ice Orchids, named for the simple method consumers can use to water the plants (three ice cubes per week), introduces a line of miniature orchids, which are gaining in popularity in the States (where usually bigger has been considered better). Just Add Ice is also introducing Waterfall Phalaenopsis, with graceful cascades of flowers; as well as several new Just Add Ice products, including a bonsai-form Ficus and Anthurium. That is Debbie Straub. |||
If you look at a typical box of flowers in your cooler you will often find many bar codes which can be confusing to the workers trying to find the right one to scan. Growers put them on for inventory control; the airlines or freight forwarders will often add one and then the importer will add another and the trucking company will require yet another one. Each one is updating the previous one, as new information has been created. In our fast moving business one of the most obvious places where those bar codes appear is on bouquets as UPC codes. However, if the wrong bar code is applied to the bouquet, it normally involves a company wide effort to remove and replace the UPC with a correct one. There are even third party companies that have sprung up to provide this service. Now we have QR codes (quick response codes) that allow anyone with a scanner (your smart phone) to quickly scan a code and learn more about the product. More and more data will be presented this way and who knows what will happen next in this crazy world of technology. However, most of you reading this will say, I already knew all of this since bar codes have been around a long time already. So my reason for writing this article is that these sticky black and white images are a real pain to remove. Since they are on nearly every item we purchase they are likely to still be on many of those items. Unless you are diligent about removing them and keep some GOO OFF in your kitchen they will still be still on your wine glasses and dishes in some faded fashion. I built an outdoor deck the other day and when I had finished, I looked at the result and all I could see staring back at me were the bar code labels stapled to the end of each board.
Sleek modular line of garden centre benches
We are literally stuck with these data indicators and I cannot see well enough into the future to know what the next generation of these will be. In the meantime keep lots of goo off or WD 40 handy.
GaItalian designer Orlandelli Group attracted attention for their sleek modular line of garden center benches, developed to work in their own garden center. They are based around productionstyle benches, but can be added on to make the benches more “beautiful, exciting and professional,� says Raffaele Cantoni. |||
William Armellini. Editor Flowersandcents.com Williee@williee.com
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World News
Australia New guidebook for florists What Cut Flower is That? is the title of the newly launched guidebook for florists and provides a comprehensive overview of the exciting and diverse range of floristry products available. Initiated by the Australian flower industry, the book What Cut Flower is That? is written by Delwyn (Del) Thomas and Bettina Gollnow. It packs the latest information about the exciting and diverse range of floristry products available into almost 200 pages, some of it never before published. Every entry has beautiful full colour photos, many of which were taken specifically for this book, while the detailed index ensures speedy access and enjoyable readability for all. Del is a horticulturist and floral designer with a lifetime of experience in the floriculture, nursery and garden and floristry industries. Bettina Gollnow, currently Communications and Extension Manager with WildFlowers Australia, is an extension horticulturist with over 20 years of experience of working with the Australian cut flower industry. “Making product information relevant and easy to find encourages florists and designers to use a wider variety of products,” explained co-author Del Thomas. She added, “From the A-Z of cut flower and foliage profiles to advice on care and handling, the information is presented in an easy to read format and design so that every floral artist and florist will want to leave it open on the workbench for quick easy reference.” Although this guidebook was developed in collaboration with the Australian flower industry, anyone with an interest in the care and handling of high quality cut flowers and foliage, will find this an essential reference. What Cut Flower is That? includes a general
introduction to the Australian flower industry along with extensive information regarding recognition of flower quality, essential postharvest care and typical problems. It includes the latest research and reliable industry knowledge. Industry members including growers, wholesalers, postharvest experts and leading florists were consulted to ensure that this manual provides the most accurate and up-to-date information on all products, with the initial draft reviewed by 15 industry specialists. Managing product quality and vase life, which are so important to consumers, is discussed in detail, and recommendations are offered for holding temperatures, cooling, hydration, hygiene, care in handling, conditioning, use of floral foam and advice to pass on to customers. The authors unravel the mysteries of subjects such as air embolisms, stem blockages, ethylene, geotropism, leaf blackening, uneven stem lengths, grey mould and issues associated with imported flowers that have the potential to reduce flower quality and vase life. This guidebook discusses these subjects and many more with straight forward advice on how to recognise and avoid problems. A wide range of the 116 cut flower and 30 foliage products profiled are grown globally, ensuring that highly seasonal products are readily available. |||
What Cut Flower Is That? The essential care and handling guide for cut flower professionals. Authors: Del Thomas and Bettina Gollnow. Publisher: Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation, Canberra, Australia ISBN 978-1-74254-572-1 ISSN: 1440-6845/price $AUD60 plus postage and handling The book can be viewed and downloaded at the site https://rirdc.infoservices.com.au/items/13-079. Overseas customers wanting to buy a printed copy should email publications@rirdc.gov.au to obtain a price including postage and handling.
USA
OFA’s Short Course changing name to Cultivate AmericanHort, the USA’s leading horticultural trade association, last month announced it has renamed its annual convention and trade show to Cultivate. Formerly known as OFA Short Course, Cultivate'14 will continue to offer premier educational and networking experiences, and more than 7 acres of trade show exhibits including technology, new products and services, and new plant varieties. This year also sees an expansion of products and services
www.FloraCulture.eu | March 2014
for retailers, nursery production, and landscaping. Thousands of attendees from more than 20 countries are expected this year. “The word 'cultivate' reflects what happens at the event. Thousands of people attend each year to cultivate their businesses and professional networks,” said Michael
V. Geary, CAE, the President and CEO of AmericanHort. He added, “Updating the brand of the 85-year-old event makes sense for the vision of AmericanHort. Cultivate captures the essence of what the experience is for our attendees. For more details visit www.cultivate14.org |||
FloraCulture l a n o i t a n r e t in The business magazine for worldwide floriculture
w w w . f l o r a c u l t u r e in t e r n a t i o n a l . c o m
INDOOR SHOWS Presenting the most beautiful cut flowers
LARGEST LILY SHOW ON EARTH
Helping consumers to stay ‘lily-minded’
Keukenhof 2014 features Holland theme
World-renowned spring display runs from 20 March until 18 May
Mention the word Keukenhof just about anywhere in the world and you're sure to be met with a look of happy recognition.
2014
Keukenhof
Keukenhof is Tulips is Holland O
n 20 March 2014 Keukenhof opens its gates for the 65th time. When the gates close eight weeks later, another 800,000 guests from over 100 countries will have visited the Keukenhof international flower exhibition in Holland. Nearly fifty million people have visited the park since it first opened and it makes a considerable contribution to the tourism sector in the region and the Netherlands. Keukenhof is something that has to be experienced to understand how breathtakingly beautiful nature can be and how the flower bulb industry can enhance that beauty.
International showcase
It seemed like a new idea, and in a way it was: showing tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and other spring flowers to the public for two months in a park-like setting. That is exactly what Keukenhof, which first opened to the public in 1950, offered its visitors. But this was not a isolated initiative. It was a part of a bulb-growing industry that had made a habit of exhibiting its products. Keukenhof is the international and independent showcase for the Dutch floricultural sector,
with an emphasis on flower bulbs. Keukenhof key strength, and also its greatest challenge, is to present the world’s most beautiful spring garden, featuring 7 million bulbs in full bloom, in the space of just eight weeks. As a showcase for the sector, Keukenhof aims to attract more than 800.000 visitors, every year, over 75% of them from abroad. The best floricultural products Each year over 100 flower bulb growers and exporters are providing Keukenhof with more than 7 million flower bulbs completely free of charge. In addition, over 600 participants in the various flower shows are on hand to ensure you see the very best floricultural products. Thanks to its close working relationship with exhibitors sending bulbs and the flower show participants, Keukenhof is also able to fulfil its mission over the longer term.
A stunning display
Keukenhof provides a stunning display of flowering bulbs, flowers and plants, specially conceived to show people the beauty of bulbs flowers. Keukenhof has developed into a showcase for the floricultural sector with a special emphasis on flowering bulbs, but also featuring products from across the sector. Although this remains a constant factor, the park itself is continually developing and over the last 10 months the Keukenhof team has worked hard to create a truly special flower park for their visitors. More than seven million flowering bulbs
were planted last autumn to create an overwhelming tapestry of colour laid out by Keukenhof’s own Keukenhof designer. Yet again the park has taken inspiration from the latest garden trends, and also tailored its designs to accommodate the wishes of the growers, thus enabling its visitors to take new ideas home with them, which they can put into practice in their own gardens.
Consumer judging
This year consumers will be invited to give their judgement again on all the flower shows, so that Keukenhof can once more provide an effective platform for product promotion. Keukenhof is also continuing the professional judging component, which involves prizes being awarded by jury panels to flowers and plants in specific plant groups. This stimulates quality and the winners can use the prize for their own publicity.
Holland theme
The Keukenhof theme for 2014 is Holland, where both traditional and modern symbols will be given attention in the park. The highlight of the theme year is a bulb mosaic depicting Amsterdam’s canals with a tulip the size of a canal house. The design symbolises the Tulip mania during the Golden Age. The mosaic has a format of 22 x 13 metres and will be planted with 60,000 tulips and muscaris. In the Spring, the amazing beauty of the colours will come to full bloom. Keukenhof, open from 20 March until 18 May 2014. For more details visit www.keukenhof.nl |||
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Keukenhof, Floralies Netherlands, the Goyang Flower Show Korea, Canada Blooms and flower festivals in many other countries of the world are ready to blossom.
2014
Keukenhof
Flower festivals herald start of spring
N
othing heralds the start of spring so much as flower festivals with their full floral abundance. Parks, cathedrals , mansions, castles, exhibition centres and city squares will be spruced up with a sea of flowers starting in early March to celebrate the end of a long and sometimes bitterly cold winter.
On 20 March 2014, the worldrenowned spring garden Keukenhof will open its gates in the Netherlands. Now in its 65th year, the two-month spectacular situated on a 32ha site near the town of Lisse features around seven million bulbs and attracts around 800,000 visitors each year. They come to the Keukenhof to be dazzled by seven million tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocus and muscari blooming in all the colours of the rainbow. In addition to the formal and natural gardens outside, planted with 7 million bulbs donated bulbs from Dutch growers, Keukenhof also hosts thirty different flower and plant shows.
Featuring an exotic variety of orchids and spring-inspired plant displays, the Goyang Flower Show is your ticket to a magical world with enchantment around every corner. Its venue, the Lake Park ranks among one of the most photographed sites in Korea. In 2014, the show will be open from 25 April until 11 May. The expo also offers an attractive platform for international flower trade. This year, for example, the organisers have announced a number of ‘Business Days’ that are expected to generate hundreds of commercial meetings. On the other side of the globe, Canada Blooms at Toronto’s Direct Energy Centre (14-23 March) is going Wild! This year’s theme will inspire garden designers and builders to create acres of fantasy gardens that capture the imagination. Visitors will be treated to a stunning showcase with vibrant colours, alluring fragrances, and captivating designs. Held in conjunction with Canada Blooms is the Toronto Flower Show. Presented in its full majesty by
the Garden Club of Toronto, The Toronto Flower Show is a breathtaking display and competition among amateur floral arrangers and garden club members. Founded in 1808, the Floralies of Ghent is a 10-day, quinquennial event, which was held for the last time in 2010. For decades, it has been attracting the big names of the ornamental horticulture and gardening industry to Belgium’s Flanders Expo. Now it is taking its magic to Den Bosch, Netherlands where it will make its official Dutch debut from May 9-18, 2014. The Floralies Netherlands will be a biannual event. The organisers hope to attract over 250 exhibitors from different countries to the Brabanthallen, Den Bosch, the Netherlands. At the Floralies Netherlands exhibition an expected 130,000 visitors can discover stunning displays of colour, creativity and contemporary floral art. Flowers and plants will be combined with awe inspiring effect. |||
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Founded in 1999 by Wiebe van der Veen, Flower Trade Consult (FTC) delivers cut flowers, mainly tulips, from flower farms to store shelves more quickly by purchasing directly from a known and trusted group of Dutch growers.
2014
Keukenhof
Controlling the tulip chain
T
ogether with local producers Flower Trade Consult attends to the smooth delivery and sourcing of good quality cut tulips for the European and North American retailing industry. Knowledge of marketing standards and adherence to good practices in terms of product treatment and logistics is an absolute must.
Transparent
The company prides itself on its fair and transparent fee structure so customers won’t get unexpected bills or over charged. Wiebe, “All suppliers are carefully selected and share FTC’s mission and values. Our biggest customers these days are large supermarket chains in Europe and Northern America. In North America we have teamed up with a tulip farm in Ontario, Canada where we grow tulips for the US-based retailing industry.”
Certifications
by Ron van der Ploeg
FTC’s customer base knows exactly how the flowers are produced, how the temperature-controlled supply chain is set up and whether the growers the company does business with share their commitment to respect the environment and treat employees fairly. “The Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn, for example, only accepts MPS A and MPS GAP certified flowers," explained Wiebe.
Beautiful tulip bouquets in a rainbow of colours, all guaranteed to stay fresh for 7 days.
Research on the right variety is vital.
Flower Trade Consult works closely with different suppliers in Northern Holland who grow and pack all in one. “This allows us to maintain a reliable and high-quality supply of millions tulips per year.”
Close to perfect
Nothing is worse for a shopper than spending a couple of euros/ dollars on tulips which die soon after purchase. “Research on the right variety is vital,” emphasised Wiebe. He added, “All our varieties are extensively tested. On consumer level, they should feature strong and upright leaves, a 36cm height, showy flowers that gradually open and a really good shelf life (at least 7 days guaranteed). On retail level, new varieties must be able to withstand transportation logistics, while the bulb farmer would be more interested in yields, forcing performance and disease and pest resistance.” According to Wiebe the yellow Tulipa ‘Strong Gold’ is close to being the perfect retail tulip. “Its performance throughout the entire supply chain is highly applauded. If all tulips had the same characteristics as ‘Strong Gold’, I reckon we would sell the double amount of flowers.”
Lean & Mean
FTC’s small team is concentrating on his own area of expertise,
Wiebe van der Veen.
mainly purchase in combination with account management. Wiebe, “We differentiate ourselves on the marketplace with one of the shortest supply chains among the Dutch flower trade. Actually, we are managing nearly the whole production process from our headquarters in Bleiswijk – from the arrival of the tulips to the consumer packaging. Our aim is to deliver from flower farms to store shelves more quickly by organising the entire supply chain direct from the grower to the distribution centres of the supermarkets. FTC has a head start in that we are streamlined, competitive and without any excess fat: as lean & mean as possible.” |||
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W.F. Leenen, a leading company in the breeding of daffodils, Sonatinis (Amaryllaecea) and Fritallaria, held its inaugural ‘Growing For Next Generations’ event for horticultural entrepreneurs from all over the world at their new premises in Voorhout, the Netherlands.
Inaugural ‘Growing for Next Generations’ event
“I
f a man finds himself with bread in both hands, he should exchange one loaf for some flowers of the narcissus, because the loaf feeds the body, but the flowers feed the soul, ” wrote the Prophet Muhammad in the 6th century AD. Food for thought was also given by Narcissus expert company W. F. Leenen during its inaugural Growing for Next Generations event (February 24th to March 10, 2014), which offered the perfect platform for the exchange of ideas and research findings. Newcomers and existing varieties were on show, giving bulb professionals a great opportunity to assess potential winners for the next season and beyond.
Multitasking
by Jaap N. Kras
2014
Keukenhof
”We’re in the age of multitasking where we have to perform different kind of jobs. This means that apart from breeding, propagation and flower growing we also have to spend time and energy on developing product marketing and promotion strategies,” said the company’s managing director Jaco Leenen.
Commenting on the somewhat paper doily image of the daffodil – for a long time they had the reputation of being the poor man’s rose – Leenen says that people often prefer to stick with what is traditional such as the Tête-à-Tête daffodil which made its market entry in the 1970s. However, consumers should also try out new varieties. “W.F. Leenen is a third generation family business which has been breeding daffodils for more than a life time, so we know perfectly well that there are many newcomers to be excited about.”
Showcase
The ‘Growing for Next Generations’ exhibition focused on daffodils, Fritillaria and Sonatini. “We are eager to share them with domestic and international customers,” said Jaap Leenen. W. F. Leenen is one of the leading flower growers in the world and has traditionally been located in the bulb area ‘Duin-en Bollenstreek’, the Netherlands. Over the years, the company has acquired a wealth of experience in Narcissus breeding and prioritises innovation as it is integral to their business. “Like in tulips, there is a constant need for better varieties. Over the past few years, for example, we have seen a lot of innovations in tulips. These new varieties gave not only yields but also sales a boost. The ultimate goal of daffodil breeding is a much broader range of varieties.” The company’s efforts in breeding has resulted in a large number of new daffodil varieties such as ‘Contemporary Art’, ‘Sagitta’ and ‘Innovator’. “The focus in our breeding programme is based on finding new shapes, colours and scented Narcissus. Scent is one of the strongest characteristics of flowers and that’s why the Leenen range includes a number of fragrant varieties,” concluded Jaap Leenen. |||
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2014
Keukenhof After three successful editions, the Dutch Lily Days have gained an international reputation. The 'Annual Four Days devoted to Lilies' will be reprised this year from May 20 – 23, 2014.
Fourth Dutch Lily Days anticipate increase in foreign visitors
D For more details visit www.dutchlilydays.com
uring these open days, the sixteen participating breeders, dealers and exporters expect to welcome thousands of interested visitors from around the world. “Our customers already know: you just have to be in the Netherlands at this time to see the newest varieties”, says Arie Alders from
MAK Breeding, one of the companies that initiated the event.
Great success
With the number of visitors averaging 500-600 per company, last year’s Dutch Lily Days were a great success. Visitors came from the far corners of the globe: China, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, South Africa, USA, Mexico, Ireland, Spain, Hungary and Scandinavia. This year, the publicity abroad has been intensified, according to director Hans Onings from Onings Holland. “The Dutch are already familiar with the Dutch Lily Days, while the customers of the participating companies are mostly located abroad. So we are going to advertise more in specialist periodicals.”
New faces
Arie Alders from MAK Breeding has been noticing many new faces during the four open days, as have the other participants. “Visitors from other countries are not only here to see their main supplier, they select a few other companies to explore each year. These four days are too short a period to
view the offers from all sixteen companies. Every year there are interesting novelties on display.”
Almost 4000 hectares in the Netherlands
The Dutch Lily Days gather the complete range of lily breeders and dealers in the Netherlands. The lily remains a typical Dutch export product, grown on an area of 4000 hectares. This puts lilies in second place right behind the tulip. Around the world, 95 percent of all lilies come from the Netherlands. The official start of the Dutch Lily Days is held on Tuesday, May 20, at one of the participating companies, whose doors remain open up to Friday, May 23rd.
Participants
The participants of the fourth Dutch Lily Days are Van den Bos Flower¬bulbs, De Jong Lelies, Bot Flowerbulbs, Laan Flora Facilities, Lily Company, Mak Breeding, Marklily, Onings Holland Flowerbulbs, The Originals, C. Steenvoorden, G.A. Verdegaal, Gebr. Vletter & Den Haan, VWS Flowerbulbs, World Breeding, Zabo Plant and Royal Van Zanten. |||
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International Events March 2014 3 to 12. Taiwan Taiwan International Orchid Show (TIOS) at the Taiwan Orchid Plantation in Tainan, Taiwan. info@tios.org.tw www.tios.org.tw 4 to 5. Belgium Florall at the Flanders Expo Gent, Hall 2 & 4, Maaltekouter 1, 9051 Gent – België www.florall.be 4 to 6. South Africa Cool Logistics Africa 2014, 3rd Africa Conference at the Vineyard Hotel & Spa, Cape Town. www.coollogisticsafrica.com 4 to 6. South Africa Get ready for the Undercover Farming Expo & Conference 2014 at the St George Hotel & Events Centre, Irene, Pretoria. T + 082 627 0067 publicrelations@ undercoverfarmingexpo.co.za 8 to 9. United States The ‘Fleurish’Northeast Floral Expo 2014, the nation’s 4th largest florist trade show, serving the floral industry in New England, New York, New Jersey, and beyond. Venue: Mystic Marriott Hotel&Spa in Croton, United States. www.northeastfloralexpo.com 11 to 15. Spain Backed by the International Camellia Society, the International Camellia Congress will take place in Pontevedra, Spain. T (34) 986 804 100 Camellia.pontevedra@depo.es www.camellia2014.depo.es 12 March. United Kingdom The Association of Professional Landscapers Awards at Gibson Hall, London. The annual awards ceremony, sponsored by Bradstone, will recognise and reward the top flight landscaping carried out by APL members. www.aplawards.co.uk 12 to 16. Switzerland Giardina, the country’s leading home and garden show at the Messe Zurich convention centre. www.giardina.ch 14 to 23. Canada Canada Blooms at Toronto’s Direct Energy Centre & Exhibition Place. This year’s theme is ‘Wild’. www.canadablooms.com 20 March to 18 May. The Netherlands Keukenhof, the world famous spring garden at Lisse, the Netherlands. www.keukenhof.nl
20 to 23. Mexico Expoflor + Verde Mexico 2014, international flowers, plants and green industry trade show. info@guiaverdemexico.com www.guiaverdemexico.com 26 to 28. United States World Floral Expo 2014 in Chicago, USA. jasper@hpp.nl T +31 20 6622482 www.worldfloralexpo.com 26 to 30. Australia Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show at the Royal Exhibition Building & Carlton Gardens. info@melbourneflowershow.com.au www.melbourneflowershow.com.au 31 March to 3 April. The Netherlands CIOPORA’s Annual General Meeting in the Hague, the Netherlands. For more details please contact CIOPORA’s secretary general dr Edgar Krieger edgar.krieger@ciopora.org www.ciopora.org April 2014 April to October 2014. China The Quingdao International Horticultural Exhibition at Baiguo Mountain Forest Park in Quingdao, China. exhibition@qingdaoexpo2014.org www.qingdaoexpo2014.org 1 to 3. China The 3rd International Conference on the Genus of Lilium at the Merchant’s Hotel in Zhangzhou, China. www.lilium2014.org 1 April. United Kingdom AIPH’s GreenCity Conference at One Great George Street in London, UK on 01 April 2014. Register now and contact AIPH’s Tim Briercliffe. sg@aiph.org 2 to 3. United Kingdom AIPH Spring Meeting in London, United Kingdom. For more information contact AIPH’s secretary general Tim Briercliffe sg@aiph.org 3 to 6. Spain Union Fleurs General Assembly in Cran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain. For more details contact Mme Sylvie Mamias secgen@unionfleurs.org www.unionfleurs.org 5 to 10. United States California Spring Trials www.ofa.org/springtrials
8 to 10. Ukraine Flowers & Hortech at Kiev’s International Exhibition Centre. www.flowers-hortech.com
28 to 30. Brazil 21st Hortitec at the Holambra/SP Convention Center. www.hortitec.com.br
11 to 13. United Kingdom RHS Flower Show Cardiff. www.rhs.org.uk
29 May to 2 June. Ireland Bloom 2014 is Ireland’s most important flower & garden show which will take place in the Phoenix Park in Dublin. www.bloominthepark.com
23 to 25. Kazakhstan Astana Flora Expo 2014 in Astana. T +7 495 221 1251 cell phone (8) 915 185 7903 mail@flowers-expo.ru 23 to 26. China Hortiflorexpo IPM Beijing, organised by the China Flower Association, Intex Shanghai and China Great Wall International Exhibition Co Ltd. in cooperation with Messe Essen GmbH. Venue: Beijing Exhibition Center. www.hortiflorexpo-ipm.com 25 April to 11 May. Korea International Horticulture Goyang Korea 2014 at the Lake Park, Goyang City, Korea www.flower.or.kr/eng/main/ main.php 29 April. The Netherlands PMA Fresh Connections Netherlands Conference at the Hilton, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The conference is designed to offer insight into the key consumer and retail trends reshaping today’s global fresh produce industry. Register for Fresh Connections: Netherlands at www.pma.com/fcnetherlands by 24 April, 2014.
June 2014 4 to 6. Kenya IFTEX, International Flower Trade Expo at the Oshwal convention centre in Nairobi. www.iftex.org 8 to 11. Italy XIII International Symposium on the Processing Tomato - XI World Processing Tomato Congress, Sirmione, Lake Garda, Italy. www.worldtomatocongress.com 10 to 12. The Netherlands GreenTech Amsterdam 2014 at the Amsterdam RAI Convention Centre, The Netherlands. www.greentech.nl 10 to 12. United States National Lawn & Garden Show at the Denver International Airport Hotel. www.nlgshow.com 10 to 13. United States International Floriculture Expo at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. www.floriexpo.com
May 2014
19 to 20. Australia Queensland Flower Growers As8 to 10. Thailand sociation Conference from June 19Horti Asia at the Bangkok 20 at the Gold Coast Convention International Trade and Exhibition and Exhibition Centre. Called the Centre (BITEC). Know it to Grow it Commference, the focus is on how the floriculture www.hortiasia.net industry can maximise on today’s communications, marketing and 8 to 18. France promotional channels 11th edition of the Floralies Internationales de Nantes at the www.flowersqueensland.asn.au Beaujoire convention centre in Nantes. Comité des Floralies 7, 19 to 29. Russia quai Henri Barbusse 44000.Nantes The Russian Nursery Stock accueil@comite-des-floralies.com Association (APPM) is proud to announce its ‘Gardens and People’ T +33 (0)2 40 14 58 60 festival which will be held in www.comite-des-floralies.com Moscow’s Sokolniki Park, from June 19 to 29. For more details 20 to 24. United Kingdom please visit www.landy-art.ru/ RHS Chelsea Flower Show. helpful_information/news.html www.rhs.org.uk 22-24. Azerbaijan World Food, Ipack Caspian and Agrihort trade shows at the Baku Expo Center in Baku, Azerbaijan. Switchboard: +99412 404 1000 Direct fax: +99412 404 1001 Direct tel: +99412 404 1044 www.worldfood.az www.caspianworld.com
24 to 25. United Kingdom The National Plant Show at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry, Warwickshire, CV82LZ, UK. T +44 118 9303132 F +44 118 9323453 enquiries@nationalplantshow.co.uk www.nationalplantshow.co.uk
Automation An absolute first for Dutch orchid grower Piet Vijverberg, who recently launched a hybrid humanmachine vision inspection system for his orchids. This revolutionary new technology is the result of the teamwork between three companies with exceptional qualifications in the world of orchid growing, horticultural automation and … postal services.
The human eye has it! F
inally justice for mankind! And I will tell you why. When comparing machine vision systems, the camera is often compared to the human eye and the computer to the human brain. The truth is, however, that the human eye/brain combination is far more sophisticated than any camera or computer, even though suppliers of these technologies would like to make us believe differently.
Customer satisfaction
by Ron van der Ploeg
Let’s narrow this topic down to our industry. The Dutch nursery Piet Vijverberg from Monster, the Netherlands, is committed to meeting customer satisfaction by providing a range of Phalaenopsis of the highest quality. In order to achieve this goal, the company relies on a vision-based inspection and quality management system. For a couple of years, machine vision assisted the orchid firm in improving product quality, lowering manufacturing costs, and exceeding consumer expectations for high quality products at an affordable price. At the 45,000m2 Vijverberg nursery, the machine
vision system counts the number of buds and stems, measures and sorts the plants according to size and shape.
Challenging
It all went quite smoothly until advanced breeding techniques brought beefy Phalaenopsis specimens with more than three stems and a literally countless number of buds onto the market. From that moment on, it became much more challenging for Vijverberg to accurately inspect 100% of their products as the current generation of cameras was designed to assess only single or double stemmed Phalaenopsis. With an entirely automated method proving not accurate enough to perform checks of consistent quality, Vijverberg teamed up with WPS, a leading provider of automation solutions for the ornamental plant industry, and the Dutch postal company PostNL to develop a cutting edge-system for the orchid industry. The newly-launched hybrid human-machine vision system, where the work of both humans and machines is balanced to be as cost-effective and as accurate as possible, now bears the fruits of the teamwork.
Philippines
Left to right Sander and Piet Vijverberg.
Vijverberg’s super-sized and multiple bud Phalaenopsis, are now assessed from a distance by employees from the Philippines. Images taken of every plant (9500 plants daily) at the nursery are transmitted to Asia within just a few seconds, where an employee checks the plants for various characteristics and immediately sends back the results to the Netherlands. Based on this assessment, each plant is then optimally routed in the production process and WPS system. Unlike the machine vision, the
human (and especially the Asian eye) can perform a count that is much more accurate whereas previous camera accuracy levels were between 60 and 62% (Phalaenopsis with 3 or more stems). Postal company PostNL provided valuable input as they use this same technology to identify mail items with handwritten addresses and provide these with the appropriate address information, in order to enable automatic sorting.
Plenty of business opportunities
The hybrid human-machine vision inspection system allows orchid grower Vijverberg to differentiate himself in the marketplace by offering superior reliability and quality. Meanwhile, horticultural automation specialist, WPS Horti Systems, sees many business opportunities, not only for horticultural products that - due to pricing - require proper assessment of specific plant characteristics, but also for other cases where the human eye combined with WPS technology could add value. |||
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Lighting Leo van der Harg bv, based in Vierpolders, the Netherlands have decided to install Philips GreenPower LED top lighting in their new greenhouse. This makes the company, which specialises in Kordana pot roses, the first grower to use LED toplighting on a large scale. Philips supplied the first LEDs for the project at the end of January.
Pot rose grower opts for Philips LED toplighting V
an der Harg has decided to invest in LEDs because of the expected energy savings of over 10% compared with conventional lighting. By installing LEDs he expects to be able to grow heavier plants that are of higher quality. And that is exactly the area in which the company wishes to differentiate itself: being recognised for its quality. Van der Harg has opted to collaborate with Philips because of its know-how and supervision. A plant specialist from Philips will be closely involved in the project so as to ensure that the best possible results are achieved.
Ready for the future
Van der Harg believes strongly in LED lighting. The construction of the new greenhouse prompted him to fit out his company in such a way as to get the next generation properly ready for the future. A further advantage of LEDs is that they can be used with the existing electrical connection, meaning that no costly additional work has to be done to the CHP. “I believe that LEDs are the future, which is why I’m opting for LEDs now. It’ll make the company ready for the future,” said van der Harg. He continued, “Other projects involving LED lighting have also shown that artificial lighting improves business operations, increases control over the processes and strengthens the crop. I am therefore assuming that the investment will quickly pay for itself. Not only because of the energy savings, but also the improvement in plant quality. The upcoming period will be an educational one in which we will gain a great deal of experience of growing under LEDs.”
Hybrid lighting from our own correspondent
www.FloraCulture.eu | March 2014
Once they start using the new greenhouse, Leo van der Harg bv
will produce 5 million pot roses a year. This gives them a share of some 10% of the European market. After the expansion the company will have a total growing area of 36,000 m2. The new greenhouse, which is to be used for blooming, is 7,000 m2 in size and is lit using hybrid lighting, a combination of 1000 W of HID and LED top lighting. This combination provides additional options for managing the crop. As LEDs do not generate radiant heat, temperature and lighting can be controlled separately.
The system attains an overall light level of 120 µmol. The lighting is on for 5000 hours a year, 1000 of which are either only with LEDs or only with HIDs. This depends on the temperature in the greenhouse. Lights Interaction Agro will supply both the HID and the LED lighting and supervise the installation of the LEDs. House installer PB Techniek will install the entire lighting system. All parties involved are looking forward to close collaboration and an excellent final result. |||
World News United States
Independent Plant Breeders Conference offers great opportunity to learn Organised by Spring Meadow Nursery, Michigan State University and Walter’s Gardens, the 2014 Independent Plant Breeders Conference is set to take place from October 30 to November 2, 2014 at the Amway Grand Plaza in Grand Rapids, United States. The 4-day event is a great opportunity to learn and network with other plant breeders, horticulture industry professionals involved in new product development and marketing, and intellectual property experts. Pre-registration and a reception will take place the evening of October 30. The next two days will be filled with educational sessions aimed at helping independent breeders be successful, from technical aspects of breeding through product development and marketing. On the final day, attendees will tour nurseries, gardens and other horticultural landmarks in western Michigan. A formal agenda and list of sessions will be released at a later date. Expect sessions to cover topics such as: • Basic and advanced plant breeding techniques • Managing a breeding program • Bringing selections to market • Intellectual property management • Market trends Questions? Please contact Ryan Warner, Michigan State University. http://www.hrt.msu.edu/ryan-warner |||
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Automation German young plant supplier Volmary purchased their first Ellepot machine in 2001. Encouraged by very positive experience with it, today at the company’s young plant production site at Senden a fully automatic model is in use. This deals with all vegetatively propagated bedding plants, perennials and herbs, including plants from tissue culture.
Volmary swears by Ellepot ‘G
row for Gold’ is the slogan of Volmary, one of the greatest company names in European horticulture. Its German homeland does indeed offer golden opportunities for producers of plants of all kinds in the most populous and most economically powerful country in Europe. The decision makers at Volmary have long since also taken full advantage of the fact that Germany shares borders with nine other countries.
One stop shop
by John Sutton
Today the company sells all over Europe, and produces catalogues in twenty languages. Just one recent indicator of its effective competitiveness has been last year’s appointment of two more sales representatives for the UK, where there were none at all only seven years ago. The family-owned company has
The Volmary brand
The company’s product range covers almost all plant categories, with the business aim of providing its customers with a ‘one stop shop’.
www.FloraCulture.eu | March 2014
Volmary looks forward to building on its already very extensive success. In Germany and other countries the Volmary brand is very well known in the garden retail business, and the company’s Soul Plants brand is well established in supermarkets. All this fortifies the company’s status among growers, and puts it in a strengthened position to continue its history of expansion, on the firm foundation of an offer that is outstanding both for its range and its quality.
It is economic to keep large reserves of the Ellepot paper tubing in stock, as little space is required and there is no risk of changes in its properties over time.
its base in Münster, in north-west Germany. Extensive young plant production nurseries are nearby, but there are also production and distribution companies in Poland, Spain, Turkey and Kenya. Volmary currently has over three hundred employees in Europe. There are around 450 more in Kenya and Turkey, where extensive mother stock areas are located. The company’s product range covers almost all plant categories, with the business aim of providing its customers with a ‘one stop shop’. There are bedding and balcony plants, grasses, herbaceous perennials, including chrysanthemums and autumnflowering asters, pot plants, vegetables and herbs, and cut flowers. There are specialities like grafted vegetables, supplied in trays, and seeds of sunflowers in more than fifty varieties to meet every need – tall garden varieties, cut flowers and dwarfs for containers. As well as young plant material in tray counts from 28 to 480, there
is a very extensive variety range available as seed, especially in bedding plants and vegetables. Volmary is an independent business, without ties to other breeders and propagators. In order to offer to its customers the varieties it believes best, great effort is put into sideby-side comparative trialling on its extensive Münster grounds.
Own varieties
Volmary also has many varieties of its own to offer. It not only employs a breeding team, but also commissions independent specialists to carry out breeding work on an exclusive basis. Among recent Volmary introductions resulting from the company’s breeding efforts is Esperanta®, its compact growing lantana series in seven colours. Volmary’s young plant production facilities in Germany are located in the Münster region. Additionally, young plant production is undertaken near Warsaw, and at the site of Volmary’s associate company Fleurantalya, in Turkey.
Bird’s-eye-view of the Volmary site in Senden, Germany.
There are young plant product lines ranging from seedlings in 480-cell trays to large herbaceous perennials plants requiring only a few weeks growing on by the customer before they are ready to sell. A variety of different production systems are in use to accommodate this range.
Ellepot
In 2001 Volmary purchased their first Ellepot machine. Encouraged by very positive experience with it, today at the company’s young plant production site at Senden a fully automatic model is in use. This deals with all vegetatively propagated bedding plants, perennials and herbs, including plants from tissue culture. The two parallel potting lines of the EPM20 Ellepot machine, with a traystacker for each line, can be operated simultaneously. This
Rooting of cuttings is fast, and plant quality is excellent. At Volmary’s young plant production site at Senden a fully automatic Ellepot machine is in use.
gives an output of up to 15,000 plants per hour. Shorter lead times have been a feature of the young plant market in recent years, and this high production capacity has enabled Volmary to handle the additional pressure in peak periods. On Volmary’s Warsaw nursery the Ellepot machine is also fully automatic, but with a single potting line. In Turkey, for mother plant production, a much lower operating capacity is sufficient and the Ellepot machine there is manually operated.
Logistical advantages
At Senden and at Warsaw, Ellepot sizes of 22, 25 and 35mm are used. FP and FC paper grades are chosen. The FC grade is suitable for a very wide range of plants that need only a short production cycle before they are ready to dispatch to customers. FP grade is for slower developing species where the paper needs to retain its integrity for several months.
All Ellepot paper grades are ecofriendly, decomposing naturally after final potting or planting, and they are porous to water and oxygen. The Bio grade in addition meets internationally recognised standards for composting and biodegradation. Marketing manager Raimund Schnecking comments that there are important logistical advantages for Ellepot over some rival systems. In particular, it is economic to keep large reserves of the Ellepot paper tubing in stock, as little space is required and there is no risk of changes in its properties over time.
Excellent rooting
Rooting of cuttings is fast, and plant quality is excellent, he says. Good air movement between the Ellepots in the trays is a valuable feature, making drying out easy when this is needed. Re-wetting is rapidly achievable, too. Technical support from Ellegaard, the Danish manufacturer of Ellepot machines, has been good. With prompt expert advice, problems have been speedily overcome. If any sorting or gapping up is needed, plant handling is quick and easy. Feed back from customers reflects the same feature of the system. Removing plants from the trays for potting-on is quick and easy, and there is no root breakage at this stage or during planting. Importantly, once transplanted, there is rapid development of new roots through the porous Ellepot paper into the surrounding growing medium. |||
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Happy Gardening by Anthony Tesselaar
France L-GAM acquires JARDILAND Investment company L-GAM last month announced a definitive agreement under which it will acquire all of the shares of French garden centre chain Jardiland. Thierry Sonalier The new owners have launched a growth strategy that sets out the future opportunities and trends for the French garden centre group and will help to reinvent the shopping experience for customers, whether online or in the store. Mr Thierry Sonalier, the company’s newlyappointed president believes believes that this transaction will increase Jardiland’s growth potential in France and abroad. Following an abnormally cold spring in 2013 with a catastrophic impact on consumer demand and garden centre sales, Jardiland wants to make itself less weather dependent and become more of a destination and do what other garden centres don’t. Jardiland is a sleepy beauty who is about to be woken up by new management team and a much more customer-focused business,” Sonalier said. Founded in October 2013 by Ferdinando Grimaldi, Yves Alexandre and Felipe Merry del Val L-GAM, is an investment company established in partnership with the Princely Family of Liechtenstein. It differentiates itself on the marketplace with its long-term investment focus and its flexible mandate to provide capital solutions. Founded in 1973, Jardiland has 214 centres across France and Spain and employs 3000 staff (6000 when franchises included) and the company’s consolidated turnover for 2013 was €720 million. |||
Down Under reflections There’s nothing too deep behind the image I’m offering this time around – I just thought it was fun. I was on the north island of New Zealand very late last year (speaking at the Worldwide Federation of Rose Societies’ Palmerston North conference). Walking into a converted wool store on the docks in Auckland in search of a coffee, I was faced with a sea of floor lamps hanging upside-down from the ceiling. Out came the camera, and here you have it. The New Zealand visit was an interesting one. As I listened to the other conference speakers and made the most of the programme – a theme surfaced. It’s not a new one, and it’s what underlies not only our original decision to create the business we have today, but the philosophy behind the business decisions we’ve been making ever since. I’ll explain. As part of the conference we did bus tours and visited different rose gardens. Surrounded by rose experts and looking out over various landscapes, I watched and listened and wasn’t surprised to hear them discuss the dilemma. They acknowledged that there were people who were seeking perfection in roses-for-picking and for this they would put up with roses that are difficult to grow well. But they also understood that there was a bigger group of people who wanted easy-care roses for that big impact in the garden. We understood this and based our business on offering people those easy care roses. Was it a good decision? Yes it was. I also knew it when we wandered around Palmerston North and all I seemed to see were glorious displays of our Flower Carpet roses in the most ordinary locations; round-abouts, roadside plantings and petrol station forecourts. And of course our roses looked just as wonderful – though perhaps not as surprising – in the botanic and private gardens we visited. Another point was brought home during the conference. I saw a particular rose growing magnificently in one location only to see it again, 800 kilometres away, where it looked terrible. This reminded me of another principal we adhere to in our business. The plants we pick have to be not only easy care, but also able to grow beautifully across a wide range of conditions. Local varieties are fine, but they aren’t worth fussing over when they’re out of their comfort zone.
Anthony Tesselaar hails from Anthony Tesselaar International, an international project management company dealing in plants, horticultural research & development and strategic water management. www.tesselaar.com / ATesselaar@tesselaar.com
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Women's Day In the ornamental horticulture industry there are few companies managed and run exclusively by women. On the occasion of International Women's Day (March 8th ) FloraCulture International travelled down to Albenga, Italy where Thalia Flor is owned by Tiziana Busnardo and Barbara di Tommaso.
Left to right Enrica, Luisella, Alice, Tiziana, Barbara and Roberta.
Girl Power, Girl Flower
T
by Aldo Colombo
he Albenga Plain is formed by a huge delta and is the Italian Riviera’s only real flat area on the ‘Ponente’ (eastern) side. Here, over the past few years, the production of flowers and plants has dramatically increased, while in other areas such as Sanremo ornamental horticulture is near extinction due to logistical problems and high land prices. Albenga’s floriculture has advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, it is blessed with a wonderful climate, a well-oiled logistic system and an assortment of products (mainly herbs and daisies) particularly interesting for importers from Northern Europe. Among the disadvantages are the excessive fragmentation of smallsized, family-run enterprises, a strong internal competition, which
Albenga epicentre of potted plant production According to the news agency ADN Kronos , the production of pot plants in Albenga represents 20% of the total Italian market, 120 million plants per year. Besides the Italian market, the plants are reaching the consumers of Central and Northern Europe, and recently also those of Eastern Europe. The most important products are daisies (12 million plants), cyclamen (5 million), rosemary (30 million), lavender (20 million) and sage (5 million). However, the assortment is now wider, especially for flowering pot plants.
www.FloraCulture.eu | March 2014
is reflected in low prices, and a remarkable seasonality, as most of the products are sold in a narrow span of two/three months per year.
The Women’s Company
Thalia Flor is dubbed the women’s company. Its two owners, Tiziana Busnardo and Barbara di Tommaso, have indeed wanted to surround themselves, in many of the key positions in the company, with other women. Tiziana says that she and Barbara worked together for four years in the same Albenga-based trade company. “We were effective team players right from the start. I was taking care of administration and logistics, while Barbara was involved in production and marketing. Then, the firm announced a reorganisation on management level which lead
us to consider founding our own company.” Destiny helped the starting business women as they immediately found premises. “Meanwhile, the firm where we previously worked announced another big change and the person who received the greatest responsibility was someone we got along with very well. So, instead of competing with our previous employer, we decided to cooperate,” said Tiziana. In September 2007, Tiziana and Barbara started their business. “During the first autumn season we had a sound and consolidated customer base in France. From there our project took off, and is still going on, with ups and downs due to the ever changing market, “ outlined Barbara.
No master
Being surrounded by mainly women can be challenging. Not so at Thalia Flor, ensured Barbara. “We are good in multitasking. Tiziana is responsible for our marketing department and works together with our sales team. I handle a wide range of administrative responsibilities together with people I would rather describe as my colleagues than my employees. This leads to good relationships as in this company there is no ‘master’. Horticulture is a man's world, where it is often difficult to get respect and trust from the people you work with. Barbara: “A lot of people didn’t like the idea of two female-entrepreneurs. But our company also employs male workers particularly in the warehouse. Generally speaking, a man who has to take orders from a woman, can put up some resistance. In this job, to get respect, you have to demonstrate what your capacities are. Since we started from scratch, we have learned to play all roles. I load the truck, I drive the forklift and I prepare the plants for shipping. So I have demonstrated to ‘my boys’ that I can do everything on my own, thus earning their consideration, respect and trust.”
To flourish again
The name of the company is that of the Muse of Comedy. “In fact, the origin of the company name is a little bit different: the name actually derives from the Greek verb ‘thalein’ which means ‘to be born again’, ‘to flourish again’. Our idea was to create a young, dynamic, innovative company and we wanted to look for a name stating that,” explained Tiziana. She continued, “Even if we were connected to the flower market that everybody knows, we also had to propose something fresh, new and different. Hence the name ‘Thalia’, connected more to the root of the verb than to the Muse of Comedy.”
Then we explored the Italian market, mainly in the Piedmont and Veneto regions. Meanwhile sales in France started to drop a little so we started to serve clients in Austria, Switzerland and, since last year, also in Germany. For next year, we should have a share of 50/50, between our traditional outlet, the French market, and these new ones. Unfortunately, we are cutting back on the Italian market, keeping just those ‘loyal’ customers who operate well with us. We realise, however, that doing business in Italy is becoming more and more difficult,” said Barbara.
Happy island
In terms of logistics, Thalia Flor deliberately rented its warehouse far away from its main production and marketing area. Barbara: “On one hand this penalises us as some growers are complaining about having to move for bringing their products here. On the other hand, being away from the traditional commercial area makes us feel like a ‘happy island’, which for several other aspects is rewarding. We have 600m2 of glasshouses with concrete floors and 400m2 with semi-mobile tunnels. In addition, we have a 800m2 outdoor yard.” The market has dramatically changed over the past few years. “The traditional wholesale is show-
ing its age as companies like ours can more easily supply a single garden centre with just one or two trolleys. Garden centres prefer to purchase directly from our company, thus avoiding the cost of a broker or wholesaler,” said Barbara.
The female touch
At Thalia Flor it is not difficult to find the female touch. Tiziana: “We provide added value in terms of paper cache-pots, ceramic pots or polka dot bags with bows for Mother's Day: a whole series of ideas to be included in the garden centres, showing a little more of this female footprint. Our femininity comes out clearly in our company presentation, at trade shows or in our brochures. The French market is definitely very receptive to these details and also the German market appreciates them.” Quality, price, and service, however, are three factors that are critical to the success of any company. “Our success also depends on a well-oiled logistics process allowing us to deliver our customers always ‘on time’,” commented Barbara. When asked if March 8th at Thalia Flor will be a special occasion, Tiziana said, ”It will be a day like any other and hopefully full of work, with wonderful sun and the warehouse jam-packed with trolleys! The only thing that reminds us of the Women's Day is mimosa, which in our country is a traditional gift to women on March 8th.” |||
Export sales
Over the years Thalia Flor underwent several changes. “During the first three years the French market represented almost all our turnover.
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World News The Netherlands
Bookings are flying in for 2014 GreenTech The brand-new exhibition GreenTech is the global meeting place for all professionals involved in horticulture technology in Amsterdam RAI. GreenTech focuses on the early stages of the horticulture supply chain and production issues relevant to growers. GreenTech will take place from 10-11-12 June 2014 in Amsterdam RAI, the Netherlands. With over 90% of the three existing halls already sold out, GreenTech organisers decided to expand with a fourth hall, to provide room for over 250 exhibitors in total. “The reactions of exhibitors have been overwhelming and exceeded our expectations,” says Mariska Dreschler, GreenTech Exhibition Manager. “We knew from our initial talks with industry leaders that the sector was eager for a new international platform but we did not dare to hope for this flying start.” Focused on the twin areas of product technology for food and ornamental horticulture, GreenTech will also feature a comprehensive range of innovations (with awards to match) and a unique blend of
exhibition, trials and technical excursions in and around Amsterdam in the second week of June. “There is no international business-to-business show with such an all-encompassing overview of horticultural technology,” says Exhibition Manager Mariska Dreschler. “Professionals cannot afford not to come to Amsterdam this June as, uniquely, every production technology involved in flowers and vegetables will be featured at Greentech.” “At the heart of the show are three sustainable and connected themes,” says Horticulture Marketing Director FransPeter Dechering, “We will be organising sessions and theme pavilions around the themes of
Horticulture Marketing Director Frans-Peter Dechering.
Exhibition manager Mariska Dreschler.
water, energy and biobased. This will make it worthwhile for industries other than horticulture to also connect to the platform, including high tech, chemicals,
life science & health and energy.” Entrance is free for professionals in the industry after preregistration online via www.greentech.nl |||
United States www.flowersandcents.com has a fresh new look Flowersandcents.com has launched a new ‘fresh look’ website. The new www.flowersandcents.com offers a cleaner look and improved functionality for a more straightforward browsing experience. Flowersandcents was created in 2001 and has become the place on the internet where floral professionals go to learn the latest news and industry buzz. Industry veteran, William Armellini has owned and hosted the site from the start and have been joined by a growing number of industry professionals that have graciously followed him and the varied
www.FloraCulture.eu | March 2014
discussions that take place. With the launch of this new version that went live in January of 2014, Flowersandcents.com wants to be the place on the web that you turn to for floral news. Please register today so you can enjoy all that F&C has to offer. If you were familiar with the original Flowersandcents, we trust that you will find the new floral
magazine format user friendly and much more informative than before. There will be more news options and more ad opportunities for the larger audience we are planning to attract. The first thing you will need to do is re-register allowing you to keep your user name and anonymity if you so choose. After the first week there will be no way for us
to prevent others from adopting your alias so please do this right away. |||
Science Monthly Your source for the latest horticultural research news
Wageningen UR Greenhouse Horticulture is a leading research institute in the international greenhouse horticulture. Experience in both greenhouse horticulture and research allows the institute to develop and implement innovations for and in partnership with the horticultural industry. Research is focused on the development of a sustainable and competitive greenhouse horticulture. This section provides the readers of FloraCulture International with a comprehensive review of the latest research and the provisional results. For further information please contact: José Frederiks, T +31 317 48 38 78 jose.frederiks@wur.nl
‘ The best ways to increase yields are not necessarily high-tech’ “Whatever the local conditions may be, Wageningen UR can contribute to the sustainable intensification of agriculture anywhere in the world,” said Ernst van den Ende, general director of Wageningen UR Plant Sciences Group. According to Van den Ende the university’s starting point is to improve existing systems rather than simply introduce the latest technologies. “This requires extensive knowledge to work with. Based on the actual socio-economic and climatological conditions in places such as Indonesia and Africa, we develop viable and sustainable concepts that increase production.” Developing growth strategies Wageningen UR advises many companies and governments in Asia, Africa and Latin America on their growth strategy. Van den Ende’s colleague, Mr Sjaak Bakker, manager of Wageningen UR Greenhouse Horticulture, often attends these meetings. He regularly has to convince his discussion partners that designing an intelligent solution may be an innovative process, but that the solution does not necessarily have to be high-tech. “In Indonesia we were able to use a relatively simple, well-designed foil greenhouse with passive ventilation – so without high-tech climate control – to considerably increase the yield,” Bakker explained. N2Africa “Another good example of a low-tech solution based on a high-tech concept is the N2Africa project,” Van den Ende added. “Wageningen plant scientists, led by Professor Ken Giller and financed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, are improving food security by using plants that combine with bacteria to fixate nitrogen from the air. This method helps increase the food crop yields.”
explained. “We design concepts that are first of all financially viable. Next we aim to use this sustainable intensification to increase production while reducing the input of water, nutrients and energy. Part of that concept is about developing methods which limit losses after harvesting.” Bakker agreed, “It is not just about increasing production. We have to achieve a sustainable improvement of the food supply.” that lean against stone walls which warm up during the day and give off heat at night. “We also used this principle of so-called ‘wall greenhouses’ in the Netherlands at the start of the greenhouse era. We didn’t get to where we are now in just one step. It takes time. Chinese companies will take these steps faster as they can learn from us but they shouldn’t be too quick for the local businesses. Affordable and applicable adaptations to existing greenhouses can increase production considerably, ” outlined Bakker. Financially realistic innovations Because the local preconditions are included in the design process, the search is always for custom solutions. ‘Sustainable intensification’ is the starting point, Van den Ende
Step by step According to Van den Ende the technological possibilities should be in line with socioeconomic conditions. “A state-of-the-art greenhouse may be the ultimate solution in the long term, but it shouldn’t be developed until the on-site preconditions allow it.” China still has many plastic foil greenhouses
Global network of experts Wageningen UR is in contact with local agricultural experts, often Wageningen alumni, in nearly every country. In addition, many employees are globally active in collaborative projects. “We are very familiar with the local conditions,” said Van den Ende. He added, “Moreover, we have the means to enter these conditions into models whereby we can calculate which existing production, transport and processing chain could result in sustainable improvements.” In this sense concrete figures can show whether a developed concept could actually result in improvements within the local framework. |||
Greenhouse operation in Ethiopia: the technological possibilities should be in line with socio-economic conditions.
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C. Steenvoorden.........................................................20 ����������������������������www.steenvoorden.nl Danziger ‘Dan’ Flower Farm.....................................3 �����������������������������������www.danziger.co.il Dutch Lily Days.............................................................2 �������������������������www.dutchlilydays.com Ellergaard A/s .............................................................48 ���������������������������������������� www.ellepot.dk Erich Baumeister GmbH...........................................38 ����������������������www.erichbaueister.com FCI FlowersExpoSURE..............................................47 ���www.floracultureinternational.com Florasearch Inc...........................................................45 ���������������������������www.florasearch.com Floricultura B.V.............................................................6 ����������������������������� www.floricultura.com Florigene........................................................................20 �������������������������������� www.florigene.com Flower Trade Consult.................................................27 ������������������www.flowertradeconsult.nl Flowers & Cents .........................................................38 �������������������www.flowersandcents.org Haakman Flowerbulbs..............................................26 ��������������������������������www.haakman.com
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Keukenhof.....................................................................30 ���������������������������������� www.keukenhof.nl Long Pride Biotechnology........................................35 ������������������������������� www.longpride.com M. van Veen.................................................................38 �������������������������www.mvanveenbv.com Mak Breeding..............................................................22 �����������������������������www.makbreeding.nl PMA (Produce Marketing Ass)..............................46 �����������������������������������������www.pma.com Stal & Plast...................................................................45 ���������������������������������www.staal-plast.dk Takii..................................................................................6 ������������������������������������������www.takii.co.jp Vitro Plus.......................................................................38 ��������������������������������������www.vitroplus.nl VWS Export-Import Flowerbulbs........................24-25 �������������������www.vws-flowerbulbs.nl W.F. Leenen..................................................................28 ������������������������������� www.wfleenen.com Williee Armellini..........................................................45 �����������������������������www.lost-harbor.com
March 2014 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com
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e r u t l u C a r o l F FL W W W.
ORACU
LTURE
.EU
Russia Edition to make its debut in Moscow
Russia’s leading international horticultural trade show, FlowersExpo, event organiser GreenExpo and FloraCulture International have teamed up to develop the FlowersExpoSURE magazine. FlowersExpoSURE showcases the very best worldwide floriculture has to offer with editorials including interviews with the show management, an overview of the show, tips to find specific products, many interesting company profiles, a floor plan and exhibitor listings. FlowersExpoSURE will be distributed predominantly to industry professionals and offers an unique opportunity to promote your company and your product. Contact our sales team and book now! angie@floracultureinternational.com hedd@floracultureinternational.com
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India Edition Polyhouse cultivation has become an important aspect of Indian Agriculture. Itis one of the most practical methods of achieving the objectives of protected or artificial agriculture, where the natural environment is modified to achieve optimum plant growth and yield.
Polyhouses: A boon to the agricultural sector
I
ndian farmers for years have been posed with challenges of small landholding, poor yields due to dependence on inefficient methods of farming and on natural phenomena such as rainfall along with the lack of knowledge of modern methods of agriculture. After the advent of green revolution, more emphasis was laid on the quality of the agricultural produce along with the quantity of production to meet the ever-growing food requirements. Both these demands can be met when the environment for the plant growth is suitably controlled and favourable. Polyhouse cultivation has become an important aspect of Indian Agriculture. Itis one of the most practical methods of achieving the objectives of protected or artificial agriculture, where the natural environment is modified to achieve optimum plant growth and yield. Polyhouse farming is gaining foothold in rural and urban India. Crop cultivation through polyhouses is a hi-tech agriculture practice along with being an intensive method of crop production. The polyhouses are constructed with the help of ultraviolet plastic sheets, so
www.FloraCulture.eu | March 2014
that they may last for more than 5 years. The structure is covered with a thick plastic sheet. The structure is prepared with the bamboos or iron pipes. Under the poly house farming method, cultivation of vegetables is done in a controlled atmosphere, under ultraviolet film roofing and nets to keep pests out. Temperature, humidity and ventilation are
parameters which can be controlled in the polytunnel technique of cultivation. This allows fruits and vegetables to be grown at times which are otherwise considered off season. The gap between increasing demand of horticultural produce and the actual available produce is huge and the void needs to be
India Edition filled. Total production of vegetables in India is next to China, but the per capita availability of vegetables is much lower than required. The productions of vegetable crops are to be increased to meet the demand of the ever growing population. This gap cannot be filled by the traditional horticulture which requires large area under horticulture to increase the production for the ever growing population. Therefore, it is utmost necessary to improve the productivity of crops including vegetables by adopting intensive cultivation, hydroponics and poly house cultivation. Adopting poly house cultivation the productivity of vegetable crops can be increased by 3-5 times as compared to open environment. The innovative and lucrative method of farming inside polyhouses to grow vegetables has thus turned out to be a boon for the agricultural and food industry as a whole. Polytunnels can be used to provide a higher temperature and/or humidity than that which is available in the
environment but can also protect crops from intense heat, bright sunlight, strong winds, hailstones and cold waves. Every factor influencing a crop can be controlled in a polytunnel. This technique addresses the need to protect crops against unfavourable environmental conditions as well as the other challenges faced by Indian farmers in order to be able to contribute to the natural agricultural output. Poly house farming can reduce supply crisis of vegetables and fruits in cities if the new farming technology is deployed on a large-scale in surrounding regions. The dependency on rainfall can be drastically reduced and one can make the optimum use of land and water resources due to assured system. The water- soluble fertilisers and micro-managed irrigation used for this farming helps in saving on water, labour and pesticides among others. micro-managed irrigation used for this farming helps in saving on water, labour and pesticides among others.
A typical, traditional farm of 1 acre will ideally generate an estimated annual income from Rs. 20,000 to 150,000 whereas the estimated annual income from similar sized poly house is Rs. 1,00,000 to 5,00,000. Polyhouse farming holds great potential as it can be seen as a tool to generate income around the year growing multiple crops and fetching premium pricing for off-season vegetables. For example if 1 lakh hectare area under vegetable cultivation is brought out under polyhouse cultivation, the annual availability of vegetable will be increased by at least 100 lakhs tons. The polyhouse technique of cultivation holds great scope in the future. This technique has certainly established itself as a lucrative one and has the potential to cultivate more produce per unit area with increased efficiency. Besides being a viable technique, it has also increased the significant job opportunities for the skilled men and women across the country. This technology can be capitalized to achieve more income per unit of land.
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India Edition For the sector to grow manifolds, the new as well as existing tissue culture units must work in parallel with specialized research institutions to keep abreast with the latest research developments and technology. One needs to focus on having alternatives for costly inputs and develop enhanced indigenous varieties to achieve sustainable tissue culture units.
Building sustainable tissue culture units
O
ne of the important contributions of plant tissue culture to commercial plant ation is micro propagation which has gained vast significance in the recent past. Micro propagation is the true to type propagation of selected genotype using in vitro culture technique. This technique provides a rapid reliable system for production of large number of genetically uniform disease free plantlets. Indian scientists have been doing phenomenal work in the field of "plant tissue culture and micro propagation. BARC, Bombay, NCL, Pune, ISC Bangalore are among the prime institutes in India which are carrying out research in tissue culture. Micropropagation is a proven means of producing millions of identical plants by culturing plant tissues or organs under germfree condition and is an essential component of plant biotechnology. India has pioneered a number of discoveries in the field of plant tissue culture. Tissue culture as an important agricultural technique has
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garnered much attention across various fields in the last decade or so. The discussions are not only confined to workshops, seminars, conferences and symposiums but has gone beyond. The horticulture industry is yet nascent in the country and India does not have an organized testing of the quality of re-generants and freedom from viral contamination. The most deleterious variants in tissue culture-raised plants are those that affect yields, quality, and carry viral infections that are difficult to diagnose. Commercial tissue culture born in India in 1987 when NV. Thomas & Go. in Kerala established their commercial unit for large scale production of cardarnurn. This was based on the bench scale protocol developed by Dr. R. S. Nadgauda and Dr. A. F. Mascarenhas at N.C.L. Pune, India. These pioneering efforts of AVI, Kerala, were followed by servile other commercial companies who entered in this area. The second unit was put by Indo-American Hybrid Seed Company at Bangalore in 1988. Now there are several companies in this field viz. Hindustan Lever, Tata Tea, Unicorn Biotech, Nath seeds,
RPG Enterprises, Indian tobacco, and Hindustan Agri Genetics limited etc. are the major companies in the field or micro propagation in the country. Maharashtra is at the forefront in the use of bio -technology in the country and with tissue culture technology the production of quality planting material is gaining immense popularity for micro propagation of various cash crops flowering shrub and trees. Since the farmers are being benefitted immensely by this technology, Govt. of Maharashtra has decided to reform its policy regarding plant tissue culture. Over the last 20 years, the Ministry of Science and Technology has supported 150 projects for research and development in this field. The favorable policies from the Ministries of Science and Technology, Commerce, Industries and Agriculture, Government of India have encouraged entrepreneurs and technocrats to set up more than 50 commercial units between 1987 and 1995 with a total installed capacity of about 210 million plants per annum. The industry has seen
India Edition
that industry has seen many highs and hit many lows but it is only after 1999 there has been an average of 35% rise in tissue culture production per year. This trend has led to better capacity utilization of the existing facilities by 2002 and additional facilities are now being set up to increase the total installed capacity in the country to about 500 million plants per annum.
sugar and paper industries, private farmers and floriculturists. Statewise, the requirement of the crop type is different for the domestic consumption. It is important to note that the demand for some crops like banana, grapes, pineapple, strawberry, sugarcane, potato, turmeric, ginger, cardamom, vanilla and ornamentals like anthuriums, orchids, chrysanthemums, rose, lily and gerberas are on the rise in different states in the country.
The demand for micro propagated plants in agriculture, horticulture and in social forestry is increasing by the day as the traditional methods of propagation do not yield sufficient quantity to meet the ever increasing demand of the populous. Today every major city of every state has a plant tissue culture laboratory. The major consumers of tissue culture plants are the State Agriculture and Horticulture Departments, Agri Export Zones (AEZs),
With regards to the future of the sector, for the sector to grow manifolds, the new as well as existing tissue culture units must work in parallel with specialized research institutions to keep abreast with the latest research developments and technology. One needs to focus on having alternatives for costly inputs and develop enhanced indigenous varieties to achieve sustainable tissue culture units.
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I n d i a ’ sL a r g e s t
A g r i S h o w
1 0 1 4De c 2 0 1 4
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