In addition, Easter sales are included in the month under review this year, whereas last year, Easter Sunday was on 31 March. April of last year had one more auction day due to Coronation Day (30 April) which fell on Tuesday last year, while this year King's Day (27 April) was celebrated in the weekend. This resulted in somewhat atypical figures. Across the month as a whole, sales were over 16% higher than in April 2013 with 12.3% more volume. At €0.335, the average monthly price was over €0.01 higher. After an upward curve in export for the first two months of this year, this trend did not continue into March this year. The first quarter lagged behind last year by 0.5%. Flowers also posted a loss of 3.5%, with Russia in particular struggling with a weak Ruble. Meanwhile, plants increased by 5%.
Flowers turnover considerably higher
In April, there were a number of striking developments in regards to flowers. Thanks to ideal weather conditions, the Peony was early this year, with the supply already peaking in April (+209%). This put pressure on the prices of the first products in the season. The Cut Cymbidiuim was also much more abundant (+106%), which put pressure on the market, meaning the average price was more than €0.40 lower. Tulip and Freesia supply grew significantly, resulting in a lower price in both cases. The tulip profited from Easter being late this year. Spray Chrysanthemum and Gerbera both had a significantly higher monthly turnover than last year, which was partly thanks to higher average prices. The cut flowers turnover for April 2013 increased by 18.4% with 13.2% more stems, meaning that at €0.185 the average price was almost €0.01 higher.Significant increase for house plants too
Kalanchoe posted a great turnover increase in April. With almost exactly the same increase in supply (+51.1%), the average price was almost €0.005 higher. Phalaenopsis also yielded on average approximately €0.14 more, with 15.7% more pots. Campanula also saw turnover increase strongly (+46%) in comparison to last year. The pleasant weather boosted the price, bringing it just under €0.30 higher. Hortensia (+28%) and Potted Calla (+24%) were also available in high volumes. The price of Hortensia reached €2.70 (+7%), while the price of Pot Calla dropped by €0.015. Priced at almost €0.38, Pot Rose came in stable supply, in comparison to 2013. Compared to last year, the house plant turnover was almost 18% higher with 16.6% more units The average price was €1.763 - an increase of €0.021.Garden plants: better prices, fewer units
In April, primarily Geranium and Cape Marguerite headed the list. Both products were available in large volumes, which negatively affected the price. The same applied to Mandevilla, Garden Hydrangea and Lavender. All these garden plants contributed to a greater turnover than in 2013, ranging from just 2% for Geranium to over 50% for Lavender. As a group, garden plants posted a 7.3% increase in turnover with 2.3% fewer units than last year. The average price was just under €1.01, representing an increase of exactly €0.09.Source: FloraHolland
