The listing of our company made several interested buyers visit us. A Canadian buyer wants to sell his transport company and wants to buy back an agricultural company. A Chinese investor came who wants to bring family over from China; there was a marijuana grower who was turned off due to insufficient Amps; a Chinese investor group came who wanted to expand their nursery; we got interest from a Canadian greenhouse grower’s son; we had an interested young couple from the neighborhood who wanted to get back into the agricultural sector with their young family. But no official offer yet. The wait has really started. The right buyer can still come by, or we can work on plan B.
Meanwhile, the Corona virus hits hard here too. Regarding reported infections, we are behind the Netherlands for about a week. As in the Netherlands, schools are closed here. Restaurants remain open especially for take out, because customers don’t sit down to eat now.
Since this weekend we feel the decline of the trade. There is a lack of containers for the transport of imported goods. Canada Blooms has been canceled, orders are being canceled and the wholesaler is holding back. There is still some ordering, but for how long is the question. No churches are decorated with flowers for Easter, as the churches may still be empty in the Holy week. The supermarkets remain open, but the shelves are almost empty here.
The rapid accumulation of measures makes effective responses impossible. It is an unstoppable domino effect. People feel a fear for job losses. Government measures have been announced. The economic impact of the health measures was initially of minor importance. And now there is no turning back. The continuity of the economy has been stopped. The economic growth ends abruptly.
But it is not the first crisis we have experienced. There was a financial crisis in 1987; an export crisis in 1994; a financial crisis in 2008. Every crisis comes to an end. We now need to look for opportunities to mitigate the damage and come out stronger. Every threat offers that opportunity. We must explore our options with a cool and creative head.
In addition to plan A, plan C will now be introduced: consolidate, estimate what we can do best, wait for the recovery, keep cool.
We are all facing this new challenge. I wish us all success.
Angelle van Kleef,
Grower of potted plants in Ontario, Canada
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