05.02.2012                      12.Schwat. 5772

Neue Importe:

Israel to import Valentine roses for first time

Growers in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and other countries have seized a growing share of the export market because of their low labor and water costs with which Israeli growers can not compete.

For the first time ever, Israel will need to import flowers for Valentine's Day as a result of the drastic drop in locally produced flowers due to foreign competition.
The industry has contracted 97% since its peak in the 1970s and 1980s when Israel produced 1.5 billion flowers a year, including 600 million roses. Many of these flowers were for export. Today the country grows only 20 million flowers a year, said Haim Hadad, head of Israel's Flower Growers Association….