Keeping an unshakable belief in Dutch roses

Added on 14 February 2024

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Keeping an unshakable belief in Dutch roses

Most green professionals are aware that the heydays of the Dutch rose industry are long gone. While the home production of cut roses in the Netherlands continues to decline, Kenyan and Ethiopian output has risen dramatically over the past decades. Even so, Marc de Baan, market manager for roses at Royal FloraHolland, has an unshakable belief in the resilience of Dutch rose growers who managed to keep quality high while weathering themselves against the vagaries of a volatile energy market and global uncertainty.

Marc de Baan is the first to admit that Dutch-grown roses have endured turbulent times for many years. He says, “Many Dutch rose growers have ceased operations altogether or chose to diversify and swap roses for another crop.”

The energy crisis – representing 20-30 per cent of costs – heavily weighs on Dutch rose growers; some opted for a period of dormancy, and others chose to heat and light their greenhouses less.
De Baan adds, “With fewer Dutch rose blooms available, wholesale customers increasingly sought alternatives from Africa and South America. And Dutch rose growers are still grappling with this switch in trade flows. Nevertheless, we see plenty of future for them while further globalisation of the rose industry is a fait accompli.”