Growers must pool resources to save flower industry

RAY SMUTS SA FLOWER exports dropped by 7.3% between 2002/03 and the expected figures for last year will be considerably lower due to the strong rand, high airfreight costs and the lingering drought. This in contrast to the 2000 -2002 figures which saw the value of export flowers increase by almost R100 million according to figures supplied by Wesgro, the Western Cape investment and trade promotion agency. Painting an equally bleak picture is Jaco Vlok, national perishables manager for Jas Forwarding Worldwide, a major player in fresh flower exports. “South African flowers are becoming too expensive, people simply don’t want to buy them anymore.” Vlok says despite Jas’s 67% increase in consignments forwarded last year (compared with 2003), volumes remained pretty much the same. “That means we are working much harder for less revenue.” He recalls the more buoyant days when Jas would forward approximately 800 tons of Hypericum SPP, for which growers were paid approximately euro 0.26 per stem. Last year they could not even make ¤ 0.06 per stem - no doubt the reason why at least five farms specialising in this variety went under in the past year. Asserts Vlok: “In order to bring this industry back on its feet, I believe mergers should take place in order to justify large projects with big volumes. Growers must start working together, and the same applies to perishable forwarding agents.”