The German flower gardening industry calls on support for Russian flower imports to decline significantly | Weekly International Flower News

Author | Yi Yang

Source | Landgard, AIPH

The German flower gardening industry calls on the government to support

On September 14, Dirk Bader, a member of the Landgard Management Committee of Germany, called on the company's website to give the German ornamental gardening industry facing the rising cost of energy and production data to help.

Lange is one of the largest gardening marketing cooperation organizations in Germany. It has a wholesale market in major cities in Germany. It is a link between growers, wholesale markets and retail stores. In 2020, the total sales were 2.1 billion euros, including 1.3 billion euros of flowers and plants, 750 million euros of fruits and vegetables, and more than 3,000 employees.

In Bud's article:

Now, the Germans are facing the double blow of the sharp rise in energy and raw materials. At the same time, the general insecurity caused by high inflation, rising energy prices, and Russian -Ukraine conflict has led to a decline in consumer consumption willingness. All of these have affected Lange's member companies. In addition, the summer drought in most parts of Germany this year has caused gardening products, especially fruits and vegetables. This impact is more obvious for flower -intensive greenhouses such as flower -intensive greenhouses. As early as the Russian -Ukraine conflict, the production cost of ornamental plants had soared, and the price of energy prices rose, increased carbon dioxide emissions tax, and the prices of packaging, plastic, cardboard boxes, trays, seeds, pesticides and chemical fertilizers rose sharply. Due to the decrease in transportation capacity and driver drivers The lack of logistics has also increased significantly. As energy costs continue to rise at an inestimable speed, it is difficult for our members' farms to maintain their operations, and they have to completely or temporarily suspend production of high -demand crop for energy. Some companies that have successfully operated generations are hopeless and fearful about the prospects. Nevertheless, they are still trying to maintain the production of flowers and plants.

▲ Dirk Bader

Flowers and ornamental plants have huge and invisible cultural value. In the first two years of the new crown epidemic, due to various measures, people stayed more in their own homes. It's easy to survive that time. Flowers and plants also have special economic significance in Germany. According to AMI GMBH data, the Germans spent about 10.2 billion euros on flowers and ornamental plants in 2021. According to data from the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the output value of flowers, ornamental plants and seedlings of German producers in 2020 exceeded 2.6 billion euros, and provided more than 125,000 employment. In modern cities, green infrastructure is becoming more and more important. Trees, flowers, and grass make our city more livable. Green plants regulate temperature, purify air, protect species, and provide habitat and food sources for rumors of pink insects.

Therefore, we support the German Gardening Association (ZentralVerband Gartenbau), calling on the government to take targeted measures to help gardening companies survive and energy transformation.

Russian flower imports have dropped sharply

Starting from Russia's special military operations on Ukraine, Russian flowers imports have begun to decline. The Russian Federal Central Bank banned Russians from transferring foreign currency abroad and strictly restricted the number of foreign currencies that could be extracted. Russian companies with foreign currency settlement must use 80%of foreign currencies after exchanging Russian central banks into rubles. Monetary control aims to stabilize the value of the ruble, but it also hinders Russian flower importers to pay foreign suppliers.

▲ 2020 Russian International Flower Show

In April this year, many flower importers, including Nikita Lapnko, general manager of Moscow Flower Trade Corporation, encountered severe flower logistics delays, and were also worried about how to pay suppliers. Not only that, Russia's importers also bear all exchange rate losses. They buy flowers in the Netherlands market in the Netherlands, and then pay for Russia with US dollars.

Moscow's oldest flower shop chain IRIS CEO ARTEM Timofeev said that the supply chain of the entire industry continued to interrupt. Because 90%of their businesses depend on imports. Some restrictions that the international financial organizations have adopted also directly affect the time of transaction payment, which will generally be extended for several weeks, even more than one month in extreme cases. Russian flower wholesalers have suspended their transactions overseas.

A variety of factors make the Russian market shortage of flower products, only Moscow, St. Petersburg, and some areas of western Russia have sufficient flower inventory. According to data from the Russian Greenhouse Association, about 10%of imported flower orders were not completed. Alexander Litvinenko, a member of the board of directors of the association, told the FCI reporter: "The flowers from abroad have been reviewed, and there are many logistics routes that need to be re -arranged, and the process of payment is difficult to ensure. Therefore, imports are imported. The supply of flowers will be more complicated and time -consuming. "

Litvi Nianke said that the fluctuations in the euro and the US dollar have made Russian terminal consumers more expensive. However, such a situation may be beneficial to Russian flower growers, because some wholesale companies are planning to turn to domestic planting, but now the flowers produced in Russia only account for 18%of the market share. In the short term, it is difficult to fill the shortage of imported flowers even in the short term. Russia is mainly imported from Ecuador, Colombia, Netherlands, Kenya and Ethiopia. According to data from the Russian Federal Customs Department, Russia imported 81,400 tons of cut flowers in 2021, more than 78,500 tons in 2021, and less than 86,600 tons in 2019. But in the past two years since the epidemic, the prices of imported flowers in Russia have risen by 30%to 40%, and the price of domestic flowers has risen by 14%.

In view of the current situation, producers in Russia and Armenia will increase production capacity and quotation. However, Litvinian believes that the price of flowers will not rise, because people's purchasing power is insufficient.

In 2026 Thailand Ulongci will hold a Class B World Garden Club

At a recent AIPH conference, Udon than in Thailand obtained the right to host the 2026 Class B World Horticultural Fair.

Wulongi is the capital of Wulongfu, northeast of Thailand. The 164.8 hectares of the World Garden Club includes a small lake, showing the biodiversity of the charming Mekong wetland and the Mekong River, which inspires people in a sustainable lifestyle. The theme of the World Garden Club will focus on "water, plants and people in harmony to achieve sustainable life."

▲ The Thai delegation participated in the bidding

After obtaining the right of Wulongti Nioshen, the person in charge of Wushen said: "As the center of the Greater Mekong region, we will build a 'Mekong Garden' on the rich Mekong wetland to show the harmonious people and biological diversity here. Our ancestors have lived together for thousands of years with this great river. She is fertile and fragile, and we need our protection. "

The Wulongi Garden will be held from November 1, 2026 to March 14, 2027. It is expected to invest 2.5 billion baht and attract 3.6 million tourists within 134 days. Earlier in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand held twice of the Wanyuan Club.

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