Nursery product from The Netherlands enters the US marketplace through a variety of channels. Some growers ship directly to their customers, or to contract growers in the US that grow on product before it is shipped to retailers, primarily mass merchandisers. Export companies that buy and sell product from local, often specialized growers, and that are specialized in the complex logistics associated with off-continent shipping, also continues to be an important part of the supply chain.
Regardless of their position in the supply chain, however, both growers and exporters predict that the export of perennials to the US from The Netherlands will remain strong in 2010. They maintain this optimism despite the strong euro and stiff competition from cuttings produced in Costa Rica and tissue culture production from China and India. The diversity of producers and product offerings is most often credited as the primary reason for the continued demand within North America.
Although sales are expected to remain stable, growers do note that buying habits have changed in recent years. Notes one grower, “Seven years ago as much as 80 per cent of orders were pre-sold. In more recent years, that number has dropped to only 40 per cent of orders being sold prior to the start of the spring season.” Their optimistic outlook for 2010 is further supported by an increase in the size of the marketplace overall. “Fortunately, the marketplace for perennials is expanding through increased demand from Eastern European countries,” he explains.
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