In Finland , floriculture is done on about 114 hectares . There are some 419 flower farms , with an average domain of no more than 2,700m2 . product is seldom done year - round , and most sales direction on local supermarkets and florists . Anselmi Hakkarainen , manager of the potted plant nursery Ansari , provided us with these bare-assed figures . " Even though most of the nurseries are little , they manage to survive . They know the local market place inside out . "
Ansari ’s greenhouses are in Uro , a village in the southeastern United States of Finland . The flower companionship was founded in 1969 as part of the 40 - year - old Schetelig Group . This group , based in Vantaa , a suburb of Helsinki , supplies , among other things , seeds , seedlings , substrate , and plant food to Finnish horticultural ship’s company . " We farm potted plants for supermarkets , wholesalers , and DIY stores . Six large client calculate for 80 % of our € 8 million turnover . Our business currently has a pure profit of € 1.5 million , so it ’s profitable . But , of course , we do n’t know what the future contain . There are many challenges around the turn , " says Anselmi , who substitute his father at the company helm in September .
Anselmi Hakkarainen
The Finnish flagAccording to him , all is well , sales - judicious . " Finns like Finnish production - that includes heyday . Also , young plants such as Bacopas and Geraniums are very fragile . So local cultivation has an advantage over imported products from country like the Netherlands , Germany , and Denmark . Those take three days to get here . As with the products of so many other company in Finland , our package boasts the Finnish sword lily : a sign of timbre , local cultivation . "
Indoor and outdoor mountain plantsAnsari does not add switch off flowers , only potted plants . The top five says Anselmi , are geranium ( over 600,000 per year ) , potted chrysanthemum , begonia , poinsettia , and garden chrysanthemum . The company provide flowers for both indoor and outdoor use . They have indoor begonias and potted chrysanthemums uncommitted for ten months of the yr . Their genus Petunia and geraniums are currently nearing the conclusion of their season , and about 250,000 Mums will leave the greenhouse in August - September . " People want to see something unexampled from time to time , but consumer choice has n’t changed significantly in recent year . However , we ’re always interested in novel varieties , but chiefly for finish reasons . If we could abbreviate a flush ’s emergence from ten to eight weeks , it would importantly affect heating costs , " he supply .
Chrysanthemums
Not for the innocent marketAnsari does not fetch its flower to the auction . " We never set up up a crop if we do n’t have a sales agreement concord in advance . We do n’t export either ; our five major clients are in Finland . sale increased during the pandemic . mass require to see how they could brighten their garden since they could n’t fly to somewhere like Spain . But that boom has already happen . Still , we managed to get a few fresh buyers . It seems to me , the idea of flowers in your home or garden is increasingly gain over , especially younger people . "
Not a single get up in sightLast workweek , alumna educatee filled the streets of Helsinki , each seize a single pink wine - sold for € 8 for each one . " That ’s expensive , but those blush wine are n’t from Finland . I suspect they come from Africa . Finland has only one one - hectare get up baby’s room left . Before the nation get together the EU in 1995 , there were about a 40 - hectares of these flower . No more . Finnish nurseries could n’t vie ; their production costs , particularly for heating , were too gamy . Many companies live under around the number of the century . We stopped in 2003 . If warming was cheap , veer flower production could be profitable , " proceed Hakkarainen .
When we shoot the breeze the greenhouse , most bedding plant were sell already
sod is cheapest … Yet , this flush nursery pays only € 25 per megawatt - hour for heating based on peat burning , an of import vigour germ in Finland . The ship’s company does sustenance on its incinerator in the summertime , so , if necessary , it switches to gas , which costs € 110 / MWh . " Finnish glasshouse , of course of action , require plenty of heat . And , though geothermal heating plant could be even cheaper per megawatt - hour , our fellowship is located in an domain with a protected groundwater basin . We ’re thus not even allowed to search that option . So we depend , at least for now , on burning energy . "
… but the future is at stakeHowever , it appears the remnant of peat burning at the stake is in mint . The Finnish government plans to halve the state ’s 2020 capacity use of that imagination by 2030 . " This measure has led to company already selling many of their peat extraction machines to business concern in countries like Sweden and Ireland . That could be a premature move , though . The state of war in Ukraine think of Russia has slam the wood micro chip import door keep out . Unlike peat , forest chips , a residuary product from the wood diligence , are considered a renewable energy source , " Anselmi explain .
" burn these chips is supposed to supply the country ’s energy , according to the government ’s design . But , even though Finland has a thriving Natalie Wood manufacture , it ’s not ego - sufficient in biomass from woods . So now study may resume on the peat bogs , which cover about a third of the country . But for how much longer ? " question Anselmi . He is visibly disappointed with the government activity , which , he believes , not only applies EU determination very strictly and sometimes in haste it also often even preempt these regularization .
Plants as far as the oculus can see
Wood bit : a ( pricier ) alternativeAnsari estimates it would cost € 3 million to establish a Natalie Wood poker chip incinerator for its greenhouses . " And it would cost around € 50 / MWh , doubly as much as burn peat . And yet , we may have to change in the futurity . Here , I ’m not verbalise about government measure but consumer demand . What if two of our five major customers want us to use renewable energy sources ? I cerebrate that second is undoubtedly coming . There ’s an increasing focus on corporate social obligation , which , in itself , is , evidently , ripe . But it means an extra cost . Five days ago , we bulge working with Lidl . That chain take certificates such as GlobalGAP and ISO . possibly , down the line of work , they ’ll want a certification regarding the origin of the push , " enunciate Anselmi .
A test with growing on two layer
LED ’s provide lighting to the plants at the modest degree
nursery redevelopment : considerable investment , but downhearted running costsWere it to come to that , it would not be the only substantial investment the company would have to make in the ( penny-pinching ) future . " We have 5.1 hectare . On 3.4 hectares , we have a New nursery with four polish managing director . Seven agriculturist pull off cultivation on the remaining 1.5 hectares . Those nursery are superannuated and far less automated . The old greenhouses account for 60 % of our labor cost and half the energy costs . We have to improve that somehow . We must develop and automate , not least because it ’s becoming progressively difficult to get hold skilled horticulturists willing to take on responsibility . And our question cultivator are aging ; some will retire presently . But since there ’s so much doubtfulness in many areas , we ’re go to waitress a little longer before taking concrete action . "
Ansari has 54 permanent employees , and its numbers swell by 25 when you include seasonal jack , mainly from Ukraine . Ten yr ago , the company had 110 employees on its paysheet . Increasing automation has cut half those job . " We ’ve never had to place people off ; that ’s always happened naturally . And we ’d care to keep it that style . But it ’s unmistakable that in a few long time , we ’ll have even few stave in our glasshouse . These are move more and more toward becoming gamy - technical school , " conclude Anselmi .
For more information : Oy Ansari-Yhtymäschetelig.com
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