Where Have 140 Million Dutch Tulips Gone? Crushed by the Coronavirus

The Netherlands, which has recorded more than 24,400 coronavirus cases and 2,643 deaths, has put in place a moderate social policy to combat the spread of the virus without going into a full lockdown. Schools, restaurants, bars, museums, sports facilities and gyms are closed until April 28. Most events of more than 30 people have been banned until June 1.

Small shops, however, such as florists and garden shops, can remain open as long as customers maintain a social distance of 1.5 meters (just under 5 feet) from each other and shop employees.

While growers and distributors that primarily serve the local market are still able to sell flowers and plants domestically, those flower businesses that rely on international trade are worse off.

Jan de Boer, the general director and owner of Barendsen, a global flower export company based in the Dutch village of Aalsmeer, said that he had lost 90 percent of his seasonal revenues so far. He typically has 60 full-time employees this time of year, and now, he says, he has work for only six. The Dutch government is paying those salaries, he said, so that hasn’t hurt his business for the moment.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/12/world/europe/netherlands-tulips-coronavirus.html