Transporting fresh-cut flowers is increasingly taking place by boat rather than by airplane, the Wall Street Journal signals. A change that, however innocuous perhaps, can have significant consequences for the floristry trade.
In 2012, worldwide cut-flower sales approached $14 billion (10.9 billion euros). The vast majority of those blooms, which usually originate in Africa and South America, are transported by cargo plane. Fuel costs are rising however, and cold storage technology is improving, inspiring a shift to transport by sea.
Such ocean transport can cost half as much as airfreight and retailers are increasingly minding their costs in this tough business environment, demanding cheaper flowers. Consumers, meanwhile, are unlikely to notice the difference when it comes to the bouquets they buy.
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