I'm sorry, I love you, congratulations, thank you and happy anniversary are just a few of the things that you can say with flowers, but this is nothing new. The world has a rich and varied history of floriculture stretching back thousands of years. References to flowers and their uses are inscribed in an ancient Sanskrit document dated as far back as 3000 BC. The only difference is that in the modern era, commercial floriculture is a global agri-business close to 7 billion euro per annum.
Cut flowers are highly perishable and as such, the supply chain is very similar to fresh produce (and in some cases, even more complex). During their transport from the growers to consumers, the floral organ continues to grow and ensuring quality, freshness and longevity requires certain conditions. The correct temperature is necessary to slow down respiration, which (with the exception of some tropical flowers) is just above the freezing point. The right level of humidity (93-95%) needs to be maintained to avoid high rates of water loss, and finally the blooms need to be handled very delicately to avoid crushing and damage.
The top ten traded flowers
Below is an indication of the top ten cut flowers sold in the world. This will of course have regional variations and be dependent on the proximity of trade. For example, India is a major rose exporter to Japan, whereas the US will tend to source from South American importers like Colombia and Ecuador.
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