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Flower packing line at Florca.
According to the latest statistics published by the Dutch Association of Wholesalers in Floricultural Products (VGB) and market analyst Floridata, Dutch 2025 flower and plant exports were up nearly 2 per cent, from €7 billion in 2024 to €7.2 billion in 2025. Most of that growth came from price hikes, but the plant sector also succeeded to boost their volumes.
Taking the data from January to December 2025, overall, produces a 1,8 per cent increase in value terms over that period.
For perspective, just eleven years ago, Dutch flower and plant exports hit what back then was called ‘a record high’ coming in at €5,5 billion – up 3 per cent from 2014.
Value and volumes
In 2025, the plant category saw gains in both value and volume. This was remarkable news considering the category’s hampering growth (2022: down 4,9 per cent, 2023: down 3,2 per cent, 2024: down 0,3 per cent). It appears that following three consecutive years of decline, the mass market, that is supermarkets, and garden centres/DIY chains, show renewed interest in Dutch plants.
Last year, the Netherlands’ plant sector exported €2.8 billion, a substantial 4.4 per cent bump from last year.
Dutch fresh cut flowers exports slowed in 2025, reaching € 4,4 billion in export value – a modest 0.3 per cent rise from 2024.
Volume-wise, plants fared better than cut flowers.
Volume-wise, plants also fared better than cut flowers with VGB reporting a 2 per cent rise in plant volumes from last year. Conversely, the cut flower category saw a 3 per cent fall from 2024.
Distribution channels
On the basis of distribution channel, the cut flower and plant market is segmented into supermarkets/hypermarkets (35,4 per cent), garden centres/DIY stores (14,1 per cent), importing wholesalers (28,2 per cent), cash and carry stores (7,4 per cent), florists (6,5 per cent), and others (8,5 per cent).
Supermarkets/hypermarkets and garden centres/DIY stores are the two mass market segments that continue to grow with a modest 1 per cent rise from 2024.
The pandemic caused a surge in online flower and plant deliveries services. Five years on, the question is whether the glow and sheen of the gold seen in online pixels back then, is still as alluring and lustrous.
The answer is not easy. Floridata’s Wesley van den Berg explains, “The online flower market is not grouped in a stand-alone category. Florist chains, supermarkets, garden centres/DIY, importing wholesalers, retail florists and wholesale growers, all of them can run an online flower and plant delivery service or webshop, or provide other online services as side business.”
Germany stays at the top
VGB/Floridata’s more country-specific data show that Germany stayed at the top as the Netherlands’ largest flower and plant export destination, grabbing 23.7 per cent of exports worth €1,7 billion.
The United Kingdom came second, taking 14.9 per cent of Dutch flower and plant exports at €1 billion.
While the German and UK markets contracted mildly in 2025 – partially offset by strong demand for plants in both countries – France increased its import volumes modestly by 0.2 per cent accounting 10.3 per cent of exports worth 740 million.
France increased its import volumes modestly.
Poland
The data also show that the total value of flower and plant exports to Poland in 2025 amounted to €467 million, 12.1 per cent up from last year. The country currently ranks as the Netherlands’ fourth-largest flower and plant export destination.
VGB points to Poland’s consumer confidence, which is much higher than for example in the Netherlands and Germany.
Economic growth in Poland is set to remain strong in 2026. In September 2025, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) revised up its gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for Poland to 3.5 per cent for 2025 from its previous forecast of 3.3 per cent in May 2025. The upgrade illustrates a gradual recovery in public investment in the first half of 2025, easing inflation and higher wages. The Bank expects Poland’s economy to grow by 3.4 per cent in 2026.
Plants on Polish retail shelves.
Meanwhile, not all industry professionals, including Polish ones, are convinced that more flowers and plants coming in from the Netherlands automatically means that all these additional ornamentals are absorbed by a buoyant internal market filled with freely spending flower and plant aficionados.
Van den Berg says, “It may well be that individual Polish customers/importers control or take the lead in selling products further afield. I have no idea, but any assumption are tricky.”
He says that the surging exports to Poland can be partly due to a shift in trade patterns.
Previously, shipments to Poland – in particular smaller deliveries – were routed through Germany. As such, invoices featured Germany as country of destination. Today, shipments go straight to Poland. However, such change in trade routes has minimal impact.
Van den Berg suggests that checking the TradeMap can help underpin figures. This map shows, for example, how Poland exports sizeable amounts of flowers and plants to Belarus, Lithuania and Romania, prompting the question whether these trade flows can be attributed to local production, import flows from other countries or import flows from the Netherlands that are re-exported.
A good year
Granted, the Dutch flower and plant exports did not set a new record as happened in the Covid-19 pandemic year of 2021, to date dubbed as the sector’s single best year when Dutch floral exports reached an all-time high of €7,3 billion.
Yet, VGB director Matthijs Mesken is satisfied with what his members have achieved during what he calls ‘a good year’ quickly adding, “But business success in floral exports isn’t something you can take for granted as many challenges lie ahead. The Dutch minimum wage rose to €14.70 per hour from January 1, 2026, there are several issues with market access. Brexit is still not done, and while supermarkets, DIY stores and garden centres are increasingly becoming a preferred distribution channels for mass market floral, the question is whether everyone understands well enough the intricacies and the specific demands of retail distribution.”
Given the unprecedented global turmoil on the political world stage frequently paired with violent, dividing, and loud rhetoric, it was perhaps fitting that when on 19 January VGB’s Mathijs Mesken and Floridata’s Wesley van den Berg published the latest episode of their ‘Floraflits’ podcast and shared a toast to 2026, their champagne flutes made a dull thud.
The Dutch flower and plant exporters performed well and can be satisfied with their concerted efforts, yes, and again yes, but they also are united in an uncomfortable feeling of uncertainty. Much is going at home and abroad.
Challenges close to home
In the Netherlands, there is currently a new government in the making. Mesken says, “This will result in a minority government. The question is whether we will again be embarking on a political experiment as seen with the previous extra parliamentary cabinet which dramatically failed in achieving any of its intended objectives. This time round, I hope that the opposition parties will support government legislation. Effective decision making will be a critical element for the new government to address key horticultural issues. Hopefully it will work out the way we want it to. Only time will tell if we are moving into the right direction but I have my doubts.”
In the Netherlands, the new government in the making dropped VAT bombshell for the sector, unveiling plans to ramp up the VAT for flowers and plants from 9 per cent to 21 per cent, effective 2028.
Some doubts prove justified. More recently, the liberal D66 party alongside its coalition partners — the centre-right Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and the liberal People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) dropped VAT bombshell for the sector, unveiling plans to ramp up the VAT for flowers and plants from 9 per cent to 21 per cent, effective 2028.
Brexit is still causing chaos
One VGB’s top priorities is to end the ongoing trade friction between the UK – the Netherlands’ second-largest export destination for floral – and the EU.
The good news is that in May 2025, the EU and the UK signed a landmark deal to ease post Brexit trade barriers, strengthen security ties, and launch youth mobility plans.
As part of the Brexit Reset deal, the new Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) aims to simplify to cross border trade, minimise red tape, reduce delays and ease the burden for businesses. Mesken, “Brexit is an ongoing project, a topic discussed daily with our contacts in the UK, The Hague and Brussels. VGB gives input to those negotiating with the UK because we want our member-exporters trading with Britain to get what you want in the deal. That is, no more border checks, and a level playing field regarding plant passports. The SPS deal should be ready before the summer after which it must be ratified in different parliaments. So, it can possibly take one or two years before most of the trade barriers have faded and the movements of goods between the EU and the UK is back to how it was before. (see box 1).”
Sustainability
Valentine’s Day is around the corner and known for being one of the most significant flower-giving holidays. The floral holiday is also notoriously famous for a topic that each year seems to repeat in the headlines; toxic flowers and the environmental cost of Valentine’s blooms.
So, it is no surprise that Mesken renewed his long-standing call for Dutch growers to jump on the certification bandwagon.
He finds it difficult to understand that mandatory certification continues be a hotly debated issue, in particular among small holders. He elaborates, “The sector needs transparency to thrive. Retail customers ask for certificates to ensure the products they buy and sell are produced in environmentally sustainable manners. And certification is also our responsibility towards the society at large. So, I urge growers to look into the opportunities of certifying flowers and plants.”
Help is available. Mesken, “For growers who intend to discontinue operations, for example, Royal FloraHolland has a discontinuation scheme for members and non-members. This scheme makes them exempt from mandatory certification. Also, the small-scale growers certification scheme offers a simplified certificate that includes both environmental performance and good agricultural practices.”
USA
Meanwhile, on the other side of the big pond, the relentless wave of US tariff announcements continues to send shockwaves through the global economy. The world – still reeling from the 10 January news that the USA will take Greenland ‘the easy or hard way’, apprehended seven days later that the eight European nations who had sent troops to the frozen island were to be subjected to a 10 per cent import tariff on their goods. All this in retaliation for their opposition to the US-control of Greenland. On 21 January, president Trump backed down and cancelled the tariff threat after NATO agreed to a future Arctic Deal.
For some Dutch exporters, the announcement of new tariffs understandably felt like a déjà vu.
The White House (photo credits: Benary).
When Trump took office on 20 January 2025 he promised to immediately begin the overhaul of the USA’s trading system in an attempt to bring manufacturing back to USA shores. This decision culminated in Liberation Day on 2 April 2025 when the Trump administration hit the European Union with 20 per cent tariff on all imports, a 13.2 per cent rise from the previous 6.8 per cent.
Eventually, the Trump administration reduced the EU tariff rate from 20 per cent to the baseline 10 per cent. The new tariffs did not cause the floral trade to wilt. But it did fuelled market volatility and raise prices for consumers.
In hindsight, it is quite remarkable how in 2025 the Dutch floral exports to USA were blooming. The USA is even charting at number eight in the Top 10 Dutch flower and plant export markets by country.
Total Dutch flower and plant exports to the USA in 2025 represents a value of €179 million, 10.2 per cent higher than last year.
Van den Berg provides more clarity, “This growth mostly happened during the first months of 2025 and subsequently plateaued during the rest of the year. This trend looks set to continue over the next 12 months. The US market only makes up for 2.5 per cent of the Netherlands’ total flower and plant export value. However, for some individual companies -notably those exporting cut flowers by air – the USA is by far their largest export market with the imposition of tariffs hitting their business hard.”
The biggest chunk of USA-destined flowers are luxurious and exclusive, purchased by high-end customers for whom these flowers remain affordable.
The legal responsibility for paying tariffs always falls on the U.S. importer. The ultimate economic burden of that cost largely depends on the relationship between the Dutch exporter and American importer and their negotiating power. In 2025, commonly the importer bore most of the extra cost. Mesken adds, “Ultimately, it is safe to say that compared to tariffs, the euro’s climb versus the dollar signals much bigger trouble for Dutch flower exporters.”
He continues, “Greenland, Venezuela, Iran, you name it. Trump has an opinion about virtually everything. Truly annoying for consumers and entrepreneurs alike is his disregard for international law, setting the stage for instability and disorderly markets. Stability is the anchor that keeps the ship drifting in choppy economic waters and that has been taken away.”
Now that Trump has also set is eyes on Colombia, a major flower producing country, Mesken is even more worried. He says, “The Netherlands take in sizeable amounts of Colombian, and Ecuadorian flowers. What will happen if Trump ratchets up his threats against Colombia’s left-wing president? Speaking of Colombia, equally worrying is the dramatic 23,7 per cent increase of the country’s minimum wage. This hike will impact the volumes and pricing of Colombian grown flowers.”
Blooming success lying ahead?
One thing is for sure, the new year is set to be tension-filled, to say the least, for Dutch flower and plant exporters as the world moves into the second year of Trump’s second term in office and the fifth year of Russia’s atrocious war on Ukraine.
But there’s also a small consolation; despite macroeconomic headwinds and geopolitical tensions, the global cut flower and plant market shows relative stability.
Looking ahead Mesken ends, “Though flowers do not rank among the basic human needs, there is a chance that in uncertain times more people will stay home altogether. I trust that in 2026 consumers will continue to buy our flowers and plants with more blooming success lying ahead.”
The VGB is the Dutch trade body for wholesalers in floricultural products and represents 75 per cent of the total value of the Dutch trade in cut flowers and plants. Mesken says that his industry association continues to see consolidation among its 57 members, and a trend which he excepts to continue in 2026. Whether consolidation can dubbed as one of the sector’s internal challenges is hard to say. Mesken ends, “Consolidation can have many reasons. The lack of succession planning can be one of them, while businesses also face significant challenges securing external financing for sustainability efforts and the uptake of digital tools. Thankfully, consolidated, larger businesses value a collective trade body as VGB as important.”
Box 1
HTA makes strong call for EU trade support and delivery, with 82 per cent of MPs backing an SPS agreement
On 27 January 2026, the UK’s Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) has launched a new call to back British environmental horticulture in making the most of the UK’s ambition to secure a new trading relationship with the EU. In its latest paper, the HTA sets out its asks for those negotiating a new Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) arrangement, as well as a technical annexe with details on what needs to be delivered to support sector needs.
Backed by new YouGov Survey results showing that 82 per cent* of MPs would support an SPS deal between the UK and the EU that includes plants and plant products, the HTA makes a clear call for the swift delivery of an agreement in 2026.
The trade association wants to see a deal with early easements ahead of an expected 2027 deadline to stop the costs, delays, and damage that its members are experiencing every week as they move plants, seeds, bulbs, trees, and more. The HTA goes further in asking for action to support the preparedness of businesses for the future opportunity, and to mitigate the cost hit to those SMEs who have invested in infrastructure and systems.
The HTA asks for Negotiators and Policymakers
Jennifer Pheasey, director of policy and public Affairs at the HTA, commented: “January 2026 marks five years since UK environmental horticulture became the first and hardest hit sector with trade barriers raised and supply chains disrupted. We hope 2026 is the year in which we see the UK-EU reset deliver a swift conclusion of negotiations on plant health arrangements. Whilst we recognise this is complex and time is needed to get the legal aspects ready and for systems and businesses to adapt and change, with 2027 the publicly stated ambition, we call for early easements to be forthcoming. Pragmatism and partnership will be key to ensuring we can support British businesses to benefit and build back supply chains.
“Today, we launch our refreshed asks and ambition for the so-called SPS deal, alongside new data from a recent YouGov survey showing 82 per cent of MPs back it. Swift delivery of an outcome that removes the cost and complexity we currently face is critical. We restate our asks for easements to remove unnecessary burdens and barriers and make a new call on the government to support environmental horticulture and those who have made significant investments in infrastructure and systems. With the right support and certainty, the UK-EU reset can be an opportunity to boost our businesses.
HTA members can get updates via the HTA website and also download the HTA’s position paper on the forthcoming SPS Agreement
