Creating a Sweatfree World Fairness in Flowers
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Where the rose grows
Lexington Herald-Ledger
February 9, 2008
» Go to http://www.kentucky.com/150/story/313104.html
It's a worldwide trek to your lover's heart
By Susan Smith-Durisek
CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST
A big, beautiful bouquet of red roses is the quintessential gift that says "I love you" to your sweetheart on Valentine's Day.
And despite the cold weather and the fact that there's not a single rose blooming in Lexington right now, all you need to do is go to your local florist or supermarket, select the roses and buy them.
Easy enough, right?
For you, yes. For the roses, not so much.
Before they get to you, your roses have taken a journey, passing through many hands. Large grocery chains and suppliers begin planning months in advance for the big February event. Not only strategic cold-chain transportation arrangements for the perishable cut flowers are made, but international diplomacy and rocket science have been employed.
Let me explain.
The cut-flower market
Odds are that the roses you buy in Kentucky, as well as carnations, chrysanthemums and even the greenery that adds a bit of background pizazz to a bouquet, were all grown, prepared and packed on farms in South America, along the Andean mountain range in Colombia and Ecuador.
Statistics from the California Cut Flower Commission indicate that in 2006, 59 percent of fresh flowers sold in the United States were imported from Colombia and 18 percent from Ecuador. More recently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's agricultural reporting service says more than 25 million roses were imported from those two countries through Miami just for the week ending Jan. 29.
Cut-flower production has shifted to South America over the past few decades for many reasons, including longer growing seasons, year-round production and fertile farmland.
The development of a chain of cold-storage services; access to rapid air transport; and Internet communications that allow in-flight customs, ordering and shipping information to be exchanged have expedited international shipping, allowing for fresher products to reach U.S. markets.
Cost is a factor as well. Not only is labor cheaper, but since 1991, a special trade agreement, the Andean Trade Preferences and Drug Eradication Act has given duty-free status to U.S. imports from Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru, in an effort to support non-drug traffic trade in those countries. The agreement was set to expire in June 2007, but it was extended through Feb. 20, 2008, just long enough to accommodate this year's Valentine season trade.
Still, with rising competition from farms in China and Africa, and changing demands for flowers worldwide, the floral trade is evolving.
Roses' route
At the Andean farms, flowers are selected at just the right bud stage. They are trimmed, sorted and packed into shipping containers, then trucked to the Bogot‡, Colombia, airport and flown directly to Miami International Airport. There the USDA inspects them for disease and insects, then they pass through customs. Shippers and wholesalers truck them to distribution centers in Northern Kentucky and Ohio, or Internet orders are sent directly to your door.
Kroger and other large grocery chains have bouquets ordered months in advance. Kroger merchandising representative Kathy Flattery said, "We're now ordering for Easter."
The Fresh Market, a smaller grocery chain, has developed a niche for below-market-price big rose bouquets. Floral buyer Jeff Soucy said The Fresh Market's flowers are shipped slightly differently than most. With "dry-pack" shipping, slightly dehydrated flowers are kept cool, just a few degrees above freezing. Dry-pack flowers travel better and last longer, and re-hydration at the retail outlets brings out the best in the blooms, Soucy said.
Fair-trade flowers
As with the coffee and banana industries, concerns about health and human rights issues have arisen in the flower business. Pesticide use, health and safety in the workplace, and fair wages and worker representation are hot topics.
Organizations have been formed to provide some regulation and oversight. The Colombian Association of Flower Exporters, Asocolflores, supports the Florverde certification program, which promotes improved living standards for floral farm workers and environmental concerns. The program is verified by SGS, an independent Swiss auditing firm.
VeriFlora also certifies sustainably grown cut flowers, and you can look for its symbol when you buy flowers. Its Web site, www.veriflora.com, explains it all.
Sam's Club has signed on for Fair Trade Certified bouquets, direct from participating farms in Ecuador's In Bloom Group, for online member purchases, media relations representative Susan Koehler said.
VALENTINE'S DATA
Make it last
The floral pipeline
Susan Smith-Durisek, is a Fayette County master gardener. Reach her at durisek@aol.com. For more information about gardening, call the Fayette County Cooperative Extension Service at (859) 257-5582, e-mail
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