THE Australian cut-flower industry has been in decline since it was bombarded with cheap imports in the 1980s.
According to the latest International Statistics — Flowers and Plants report, Australian cut-flower production declined from 5335 hectares in 2008-09 to 4470 hectares in 2013-14. This included protected cropping (glasshouses), which dropped from 309 hectares to 260 hectares during the same time.
Where Australia would once battle imports from Europe, it now has to compete with cheap imports from South America and Africa. Colombia exported $7.2 million worth of cut flowers to Australia last year, up from $536,410 in 2008.
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