Success for Schneider’s business event in Hungary

BUDAPEST, Hungary: Growers attending the Flora Hungaria on November 27, were drawn to participate in a business event organised by young plant producer Schneider Young Plants and young plant supplier Kovari KFT.

Hungary’s primary flower wholesale market in Szigetszentmiklós, 25 km south of Budapest’s city centre was the perfect location for this event.  Just before boarding her plane to go to the event, Schneider’s Zsofia Gebel Simó told FCI that Kővári KFT’s annual Open Day in November had become an essential fixture in the calendar of Hungarian Chrysanthemum and bedding plant growers.” The event includes a top-notch educational programme on IPM, ebb and flow systems, growing media, fertilisers and crop scheduling in ornamental plant production and it will also provide a snapshot of tried and tested varieties along with cultivars that are new to the marketplace.”

Schneider and Kővári KFT have built a long term relationship spanning over 15 years. “We are delighted to run our business event in conjunction with Kővári’s Open Day, allowing us to showcase our latest and greatest in seed-raised and cutting-raised annuals. The live event gives us valuable ‘face time’ with existing and potential customers and offers Hungarian growers the opportunity for them to experience the look, feel, personality and service-based Schneider business,” notes Gebel Simó.

Hungary, she says, is an important market with growers importing around 1.5 million Schneider plants per year, mostly annuals and biennials. Next to Schneider Kővári KFT has also forged a successful relationship with Dutch-based Straathof from which they source a sizeable number of Chrysanthemum cuttings. Gebel Simó: “We find it very important to support our partners in organising platforms where young plant supplier and their customers can share knowledge, research findings and experiences.”

Accommodating such a big group in Kővári’s greenhouses could be somewhat daunting, mainly because the greenhouses are unheated at this time of year. “However, Hungarian growers are very familiar with Flora Hungaria. Sourcing their young plants from abroad through Kővári, they travel every Thursday to the wholesale market in Budapest to pick up their plants from there,” explains Gebel Simó.

Kővári and Schneider statistics reveal that Begonia semperflorens, Petunia, Tagetes, Coleus, Viola cornuta and Viola wittrockiana, Vinca and cut Lisianthus (not offered by Schneider) are among Hungary’s most sold bedding plants. The most significant change in the assortment is with Primulas. “Because of the change in climate, it has become impossible to grow good quality, good looking Primula in Hungary. The most important floral holiday for Primula sales was International Women’s Day on March 8. With abnormally high temperatures in autumn, Primula plants become too stretched even when using PGRs. Using more PGRs would raise the price of the finished plant, making it too expensive for garden centre customers.”

Moreover, Chrysanthemum continues to ride the wave of popularity among Hungarian consumers with peak sales taking place in the run-up to All Saint’s Day (November 1) when Hungarians flock to graveyards to pay their respects to those who have died.
For more information visit www.schneiderbv.nl and  www.kovarikrizantem.hu