Two thirds of the roses exported by the Netherlands have been imported from Ethiopia and Kenya, as the number of flower growers in the Netherlands dwindle, the Volkskrant reports on Valentine’s Day.

Some 150 million roses are sold at Dutch flower auctions in the run up to February 14, which is traditionally one of the most lucrative periods of the year for growers.

However, CBS figures quoted by the paper show the total number of Dutch flower growers is now 2,100, 300 down on 2019, due to both competition from other countries and rising energy costs. And just 16% of the Valentine roses traded at auctions the Netherlands were grown on Dutch soil.

Rose growers in particular have been nudged out of the market over the last 20 years, with small growers who do not have enough money to invest in energy-efficient heating of the greenhouses left at a disadvantage, industry lobby organisation Tuinbouw Nederland said.

Big growers, however, are investing in led lights and alternative ways of heating greenhouses, such as geothermal heat, residual heat produced by other business and heat retaining screens, the agency told the paper.

Dutch flower and plant exports have fallen for the second year in a row as inflation and Brexit continue to take their toll, wholesalers organisation VGB said last month. Cut flower exports are down 5% to €4.2 billion while the export of plants fell 3% to €2.6 billion.

A single bunch of Dutch roses produces up to four kilos of CO2 emissions, equal to a 50-minute shower, according to the Volkskrant. The sustainability of an African bunch depends on the type of rose and the circumstances under which it has been grown, the paper said.