Horticultural exports grows by 3%, auction turnover of cut flowers rises, while houseplants and garden plants face pressure |
01/10/2024 |
Despite challenges such as fluctuating weather conditions and logistical issues, the Dutch horticultural sector continues to show relatively stable growth. In the first eight months of 2024, flower and plant exports increased by over 3%, with cut flowers outperforming houseplants and garden plants. Auction turnover of cut flowers grew by more than 10%, while the turnover of houseplants and garden plants was impacted by price drops.
Flower and plant exports
The Dutch horticultural sector demonstrated resilience in 2024 with export growth of over 3% in the first eight months, pushing the export value past 5 billion euros. Despite a slight decline of 1% in June and August, strong growth of 14% in July helped stabilise the figures. These fluctuations were partly due to varying auction days and weather conditions.
Cut flower auctions
The auction turnover of Dutch-grown cut flowers through Royal FloraHolland rose by more than 10% in the first eight months of 2024, despite a 3% decline in the number of units sold. Price increases for products such as spray chrysanthemums and roses significantly contributed to this growth. Cooler, rainy weather in Africa limited the supply of roses, leading to higher prices.
Houseplant auctions
The cumulative auction turnover of houseplants fell by 1.5% after eight months compared to the same period in 2023. June and August saw particularly disappointing results, with turnovers dropping by 11% and 13%, respectively. In July, turnover rose by 5.5%, but lower average prices countered the impact of higher sales volumes (+7.6%).
Garden plant auctions
Turnover for garden plants fluctuated heavily due to variable weather conditions. In June, turnover dropped by 27% compared to a year earlier, followed by a modest 8% increase in July. In August, turnover fell again by 3%, driven by a sharp decrease in prices during the month.
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