BREEDERS BRIEFS
“No one thought bi-colored flowers would become popular”
“A couple of years ago, no one would have thought that bi-colored or color changing flowers would become popular. Now, they are hot all over the world”, says Yoav Scholz of GGG Grünewald, a breeder and propagator of bedding and balcony plants.
However, not only is the demand for colors constantly changing, so are the genetics of many traditional varieties. “When breeding new varieties, we need to take into account the entire production chain from the cutting, growing, logistics and the finished product from our customer to the retail. A good example to illustrate this trend is with our Dahlia ‘Starlias’ series. We are always workingto keep this ‘old plant’ attractive by adapting to new trends quickly.”
More open to bi-colors
According to Scholz, people are more open to new colors at the moment. “All over the world, we notice an increase in demand for striking colors and especially the bi-colored varieties. Approximately five years ago, when we just introduced the Dahlia “Starlias’ series, there was no market for bi-colored varieties, but now, our bi-colored dahlias are the top sellers in the ‘Starlias’ series,” says Scholz.
Change in genetics
Next to colors, the genetics are of great importance. According to Scholz, when breeding new varieties, they need to take into account the entire chain from the cutting till transport from the customer to the retail. “Over the years, a lot changed for this traditional dahlia,” says Scholz. “Firstly, Growers increasingly ask for plants that flower early. The market is becoming more and more early over the years. Secondly, they want plants that are more compact, therefore, more plants can be placed in the greenhouse and during transport. Finally, the growing habits of the entire.
Bloomingdale Roses introduces two new roses
Bloomingdale Roses from Kenya extends its assortment with two new large bud varieties: ‘Double Fashion’ and ‘Blush’. Both varieties in the assortment of Bloomingdale Roses are available at the Aalsmeer auction rose clock effective Friday 17th of June.
Double Fashion is a bi-coloured white rose with cherry coloured edges. The large flowered Double Fashion has flower buds of 5-6 cm. and is available in lengths of 60 – 80 cm. The Double Fashion is a variety of breeder Nirp International and its product code is 117930. The vase life of Double Fashion is at least 10-12 days.
Blush® is also a bi-coloured rose, but red, and has flower buds of 5-6 cm. These large flowered roses are available in lengths of 60-80 cm, it is a variety of breeder Interplant and the product code is 25641. Blush has a very long vase life of 14 – 16 days.
Assortment
The 13 varieties of Bloomingdale Roses are from the high quality breeders Interplant, Kordes, Nirp International, Preesman, Schreurs
Interplant presents 2 new Intermediate Hybrid-Tea varieties
Interplant presents 2 new Intermediate Hybrid-Tea varieties: Hilux and Motown. Hilux is an intense orange-red coloured Intermediate rose, stemlength 50 – 70 cm, vaselife 10 – 12 days, medium production level.
Motown is a soft orange-pink coloured Intermediate variety, stemlength 50 – 70 cm, average vaselafe of 14 – 16 days, medium production level.
Interplant East Africa focuses on water conservation
Interplant Roses East Africa is not just growing roses these days. Due to high demand, they are in the process of expanding their operation as well at the moment.
But as in other parts of the world, water conservation is a main issue in the Lake Naivasha district. Interplant has decided to build its own closed circuit recycling system based upon reverse osmosis and UV light to maintain water quality.
By investing in their own recycling system, they can safeguard a steady and qualitative flow of fresh water and support the regional initiatives for a sustainable water supply.
African growers threaten Dutch flower power
The Netherlands is fighting to retain its crown as the world’s top auction house for flowers as growers in Africa and elsewhere increasingly sell directly to buyers.
The country grew wealthy selling tulip bulbs in the 17th century during the so-called Dutch Golden Age and remains the second largest agricultural exporter behind the United States. For decades the FloraHolland cooperative has acted as the hub from which planeloads of flowers from around the world are distributed from vast, air-conditioned warehouses in Aalsmeer, near Amsterdam airport.
The company says it distributes almost 50 percent of all flowers sold worldwide and last year it reported sales of 4.6 billion euros ($5.13 billion), mostly from matching growers and buyers at its famous early-morning daily auctions. But worryingly for FloraHolland Chief Executive Lucas Vos, sales of flowers by growers directly to buyers have overtaken those sold through FloraHolland’s auctions.
Direct sales from members of the cooperative bypassing the auctions rose by 3.8 percent to 2.3 billion euros last year. Auction sales stood at 2.1 billion euros, down 1 percent. “We need to realize that if, for instance, we want to get flowers into China or India …the logistical system we have built for ourselves probably does not fit,” said Vos, who was brought in from shipping firm Maersk in 2014. In response, FloraHolland is looking to make changes to an auction system that dates back more than 100 years. It is investing up to 90 million euros over the next five year and plans to develop a 24-hour online dealing platform. It will be like “a Tinder or AirBNB” for flowers, Vos said.
That could eventually lead to the Dutch auction halls, where some 3,000 work, falling silent, but change is already apparent; some 70 percent of sales come from remote bidders. Vos remains confident, however. “Most producers grow one type of flower, and if you’re a consumer, you want a bouquet,” he said. “There will always be a need for a hub.”
Overseas Sites
For European markets, it makes sense to gather flowers in Amsterdam before trucking them to Britain or Russia.
And for growers in Kenya or Ethiopia, for example, being among FloraHolland’s 4,600 members helps maintain stable prices in the face of powerful buyers such as Europe’s top supermarket chains. Some 50 percent of Kenya’s flower exports are sold via FloraHolland, and 70-80 percent of Ethiopia’s.
But being members also means they must commit to sell all of their output via FloraHolland and that can be a handicap when trying to reach Chinese or Indian markets. Vos said FloraHolland plans to open logistics sites overseas, either near growers in Europe or Africa or near Asian buyers, to preserve the company’s central role in a more devolved global flower trade. At stake is the Netherlands’ dominance in the global flower trade, which is slipping. The Netherlands exported 52 percent of the world’s cut flowers in 2013, down from 58 percent in 2003, according to Rabobank.
Good demand and prices This low season
For many cut rose growers, this time of the year is considered to be the low season. The holy month of Ramadan in the Middle East and the upcoming summer period in Europe often results in a lower demand. However, this year, the demand and therefore also the prices are higher than expected. They are both about 10 percent higher compared to last year during this time of the year. This increase is mainly due to the cold weather in Kenya at the moment.
Cold weather
Kenya currently has to deal with colder weather than usual. The temperature during day-time at this time of year normally is about 20 degrees Celsius in the lower attitudes. Now, however, it is about 5 degrees lower; about 12-to 15 degrees Celsius during day-time. And these lower temperatures affect the production. During this time of the year, the production at many farms drops by 10 percent in general. Now, due to the cold weather, the production decreased by 15-20 percent. And as a consequence, growers experience a higher demand and prices.
Tough year
According to growers, it has been a tough year for many farmers till now. “In March -April many farms were in high production, so there was an oversupply of flowers on the market, which resulted in low prices at the auction. And in May, June many farms had to deal with a lower production and the occurrence of diseases like downy mildew and botrytis, that were caused by heavy rains.” But the lower production was also beneficial for some farms as the prices at the auction increased sharply.
Expanding markets
Most of the growers are always looking to expand markets and that is why they attended IFTEX. “We want to diversify our direct markets more, because in different countries, you have to deal with different seasons. Now, for example, we have Ramadhan which drops the demand in the Middle East, and the summer season in Europe in, but in other countries this is not the case. So, by expanding our markets, we hope to have a more constant demand throughout the year”, says Mary Mwangi of valentine Growers.
Breakthrough in breeders’
Rights discussions The European Commission wants to offer clarity and legal certainty about patenting the natural traits of vegetables and other plants through further interpretation of the biotech directive. This was announced by European Commissioner for the Internal Market Elżbieta Bieńkowska at the symposium ‘Finding the Balance’ in Brussels, organised by Minister for Agriculture Martijn van Dam in the context of the Netherlands EU Presidency.
Breakthrough
‘This is a definite breakthrough in the discussion on patent law and plant breeders’ rights,’ the minister said in his opening speech. ‘The Netherlands has always opposed the patenting of natural plant traits and biological processes. A monopoly on fruit and vegetables is illogical and undesirable. Nature belongs to us all. It’s great that the Commission is taking this step. We’re not there yet, but a major hurdle has now been overcome.’
Plant breeders’ rights
The discussion about patenting natural characteristics began in 2012 and intensified in 2015 when the European Patent Office board of appeal ruled that products obtained through crossing or other breeding techniques can be patented. This goes against the traditional plant breeders’ right that allows them to further develop each other’s findings.
Promoting innovation
‘The Netherlands is a global player when it comes to growing and breeding plants,’ Mr Van Dam said. ‘The sector profits from the free availability of biological material. This promotes innovation in plant breeding which in turn improves both the Netherlands’ competitive position and, ultimately, global food security.’
Practical solutions
At the symposium in Brussels, Commissioner Bieńkowska indicated that the Commission is working on a closer interpretation of the existing biotech directive. The Commission believes that amending the directive itself is not the answer. The interpretative declaration will be presented by the Commission by the end of this year. It will be part of a broader package of practical solutions put forward at the symposium. Examples include more transparency, better access to biological material and improved cooperation between the European Patent Office and the Community Plant Variety Office.
Stokman Rozen increases PRO rootstock production
Stokman Rozen will increase their Plant Research Overberg (PRO) rootstock production in Kenya. “Currently, the demand exceeds the supply, so we need more space”, says Peter van de Pol, director of the company and breeder of these new rose rootstocks. For this reason they recently added a new 0.5ha sized greenhouse and are planning to double this acreage soon.
New greenhouse
The PRO rootstocks were officially launched in Europe and Africa the beginning of 2016. For Europe, the rootstocks are being produced by Interrose (Kordes) in De Kwakel, the Netherlands, and for Africa at Stokman Rozen in Naivasha, Kenya. Recently, they opened a new 0.5 ha sized greenhouse at Stokman Rozen that will be fully used for the production of PRO rootstocks. This new greenhouse is now being prepared for its first production and the possibility to expand the greenhouse is taking into account and implemented in the design. It can be expanded to 1ha. “Currently the demand exceeds the supply and with this new greenhouse, we expect to meet the demand for the 2017 propagation season”, says van de Pol.
10% increase in biomass
At Stokman Rozen in Naivasha, two types of PRO rootstocks are being produced; Protatu and Protano. Both varieties will increase the biomass of the plant. Depending on the rootstock chosen, the plant will either have more, thicker or longer stems. “A rise of 10% is very well possible, but we have often seen much higher numbers, even with known high producers like Avalanche or Red Naomi”, explains van de Pol. “And varieties which cause problems like thin stems, lack of numbers etc, may become interesting again”, he adds.
Increasing demand
According to van der Pol, the PRO rootstock is accepted well in the market. “We are one of the few in the field of rootstocks and we are getting more traction in the market space, not only here in Africa, but also in Europe. The demand is increasing. So, overall, we are very satisfied”, he says.
Future plans
Next to expanding the production of the PRO rootstocks, van de Pol is also planning to launch the rootstocks in other countries. “Soon, the PRO rootstocks will also be available in North- and South-America and Japan.”
Flower growers honoured as council rebrands
Several flower farmers were awarded for helping make the industry bloom. Kenya Flowers Council (KFC), the umbrella body for flower growers, held the award ceremony in an event in which the regulator also rebranded, taking up a new logo.
Waridi Farm, Suera Flowers, Flamingo Horticulture Kenya and Oserian are among companies that were honoured for good performance in the 37 FLORIBRIEFS Stokman Rozen increases PRO rootstock production industry. Others awarded were Finlay Flowers. John Njenga and Joseph Oketch, who work for KFC were awarded, for their long standing partnership and long time services to the council respectively.
“Kenya produces world-class flowers, we should focus on improving the flower exports as they account for a huge percentage of the country’s exports to the European Union,” said KFC’s CEO Jane Ngige.
“As we celebrate 20 years of our presence in the country’s flower industry, it is only important that we rebrand to reflect our continued commitment towards helping flower farmers achieve their goals in the global flower industry,” added Ngige as she unveiled KFC’s new logo.
Economic Partnership Agreement
Elgon Kenya’s CEO Bimal Kantaria, whose company was one of the sponsors of the event, noted that negotiations are in place to strengthen the East African Community- European Union Economic Partnership Agreement, which allows countries in the regional to access the global market.