Croatia, which has a population of about four million, is expected to import at least a million roses this February, the Croatian Chamber of Economy (HGK) recently said in a report.

According to data compiled by HGK, in February 2018 the local market imported around 1.28 million roses, valued at €482,000, or up by 46 percent compared to January, when the import was valued at €330,000.

Year-on-year, the import of roses in February rose by 11 percent, from 1.08 million in February 2017. February is one of the biggest months for flower sales due to Valentine’s Day on February 14, when men traditionally gift roses to their sweethearts.

The HGK also noted that in 2018 the trend of falling imports of all types of flowers has been reversed. In 2017 Croatia imported some 1,555 tonnes of cut flowers valued at €8.3 million, or 8.5 percent down from 2016. However, according to data available for the first 11 months of 2018, the imports increased to 1,663 tonnes, worth €9.1 million.

The local market, where roses are sold in retail for anywhere from 10 to 20 kuna (€1.35-2.70), is dominated by imports from major overseas producers like Ecuador, Columbia, and Kenya, which have climates that allow year-long farming and low labour costs.

According to HGK data, in 2018 Croatia imported 725 tonnes of the popular flower, as opposed to 31 tonnes in exports, which means that for every single rose grown locally for exports, about two dozen get imported.

(€1 = 7.40 kuna)

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