International Floriculture & Horticulture Trade Fair (IFTF) is getting more international every year. This year growers from Iran and Rwanda showed their flowers and potted plants for the first time in Holland. Ofcourse growers from the big flower producing countries like Kenya, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Colombia and Israel were also present at the fair.
One of the exhibitors at IFTF is Batian Flowers from Kenya. Batian expanded the production of alstroemeria to 14 ha and will in future increase the area of alstroemeria to 20ha. Alstroemeria is Batians biggest product right now. Besides alstroemeria Batian grows rose (10ha), spray roses, chrysantemum (3ha) and freesia. Batian exports flowers to 60 countries.
The Russian company BiFlorica is trying to find Dutch growers for its online flower platform. BiFlorica started four years ago and right now 300 growers and about 400 buyers do business via the platform.
Three growers form Rwanda are present at IFTF for the first time. According to consul Robert Kayinamura the flower business is expanding in Rwanda.
Esmeralda Farms closed its farm in Ethiopia and its office in Holland lately. Nowadays Esmeralda provides their European clients with flowers from their farms in Ecuador. To meet the needs of the European buyers Esmeralda expanded the production in Ecuador.
Two nurseries were partially damaged but the rest of the Ethiopian farms are ‘back to export’, tells Tewodros Zewdie of the Ethiopian Horticulture Producers Exporters Association. „There was a crisis but i am highly optimistic now. In six months farms will start tot expand.”
It is a hard time for many Ecuadorian growers. Many of them were mainly focussed on Russia. Fiscella Flowers that made 70% of its turnover in Russia is trying to find buyers in the United States and Europe.
Rosa Eklund of Roses Forever from Denmark poses with the director of Mzurri Flowers from Kenya. Eklund is specialized in breeding garden roses and potted roses. In 1998 she started to breed cut roses and spray roses. Since a year some of her varieties are commercialy grown by Mzurri. The roses contain ‘blood’ from garden roses and mini roses.
Different Japanese flower export associations exhibit at IFTF. The most important Japanese grown flower at the European market is gloriosa.
Many rose growers and breeders are present at IFTF.
Like every year several companies show preserved roses at IFTF.
Fadak Flower from Iran exhibited at IFTF for the first time. Fadak grows cactus and succulents and sells Lucky Bamboo from Indonesia.
Juliet Kiboro-Kamuyu of Wilfay Flowers in Kenya is pretty satisfied about flower business. Wilfay grows summerlfowers like limoneum, gypsophyla, zantedeschia, anigozanthos, hypericum, phlox and bupleurum and ammi on 20 hectares in Subukia. Wilfay also grows cymbidium on trial.
Hanif Chaudry of Isinya Roses shows the size of the buds of his roses. One of the farms of Isinya is located at a high altitude of 2865 meter in Kenya near the Tanzanian border.
Malene Juhl Jensen and Bent Juhl Jensen of Gartneriet Rahoy in Denmark promote their cut asters Mystery Lady. According to Marlene the asters are remarkable because of the filled flowers and long vaselife.
Another special flower from Japan: oxypetalum.
