Good news for Italian flower producers, who are growing sales at the expense of foreign-sourced roses. According to the nurserymen of Cia-Agricoltori Italiani, the Valentine's Day turnover in 2024 is around 80 million euros (as in 2023), with approximately 35 million flowers sold. While the long-stemmed rose (over 70cm) remains the best-selling flower on February 14th, it is more expensive at retail, costing up to 8-10 euros, compared to a mixed bouquet of Made in Italy flowers (freesias, anemones, buttercups, carnations) for 25 euros. Cia predicts, therefore, a 20% increase in national product sales, owing mostly to typical goods grown in the areas with the highest floricultural vocation: Sanremo, Pescia, and the province of Naples. A bouquet of local flowers is fresher and more fragrant than roses and orchids from Colombia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Taiwan, which - coming from warm climates - have a long shelf life in cold rooms, in countries where the cost of labor, often linked to the exploitation of child labor, does not make European production more competitive. In contrast, our Made in Italy flowers exceed environmental sustainability standards and are not subjected to indiscriminate pesticide treatment, as is the case in non-EU nations. Cia writes that a stem of freesias and carnations costs 2.50 euros, while snapdragons and gerberas cost 3 euros, as do Italian tulips (produced primarily in the Neapolitan area). Poppy, calla lily, and anemone cost somewhat more (3.5 euros). Strelizia and lilium, on the other hand, cost about €4 per stem, whereas the Sanremo clone ranunculus costs about €5.5. Cia recounts how, unlike Northern Europe, the Italian cut flower industry is particularly associated with anniversaries: Mother's Day, Women's Day, Valentine's Day, and All Souls' Day, which account for more than half of annual flower expenditures. In Italy, floriculture accounts for 5% of agricultural production, with 27,000 enterprises and 100,000 people, including 20,000 growers of flowers and potted plants and 7,000 nurseries. The sector is valued 2.5 billion euros, with five regions accounting for 80% of national production: Liguria (31%), Campania (16%), Tuscany (13%), Puglia (11%), Sicily (10%), and the remaining 19%.
|