Nearly 15 million roses imported and exported every day

In the first eleven months of 2005, the Netherlands imported 3 billion roses and exported 2 billion roses. On an average day, some 15 million roses cross the Dutch border in both directions. Approximately 95 percent of imported roses come from Africa.

Rose trade

More roses imported from Kenya

The main rose-growing countries are Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe; nearly 2.6 billion roses come from these three countries. Kenya’s share in Dutch rose import is continually rising. In 2000, one third of roses imported into the Netherlands were grown in Kenya, currently almost two thirds.

Import of roses

Export mainly to the EU member states

In the period January-November 2005, over 1.8 billion roses (90 percent of total rose exports) went to EU member states. More than 40 percent (763 million roses) were exported to Germany. A large proportion of roses imported into the Netherlands are re-exported through Dutch flower auctions.

Rose culture in the Netherlands

Rose-growing area in the Netherlands diminishing

In 1995, the rose culture area in the Netherlands covered approximately 920 hectares. Subsequently, the area increased slightly to nearly 950 hectares in 2000. In the period 2000-2005, the area was annually reduced by an average 30 hectares to 780 hectares in 2005. Over the same period, the number of holdings where roses are grown, was reduced from 926 to 466. The average holding expanded from about 1 hectare in 1995 to 1.7 hectares in 2005.

Wiel Packbier and Cor Pierik