Russia's flower ban a pest to blooming industry
But after Russia imposed a ban because of an insect-laden shipment, Dutch companies are losing about a half-million dollars a day.
The culprit is the flea-sized western flower thrip, which spreads viruses and lays waste to flowers and fruit.
The ban was imposed after the bugs were found on 66 plants bound for a southern Russian distributor last month. The plot thickened when copies of the accompanying documentation faxed to Dutch authorities were pronounced fake.
"We were not happy to see our name on the documents," said Tamara Chaloulakos, a spokeswoman for the Baardse company, which grew the flowers. "What happened to them we don't know."
The forged documents could be part of a scam to reduce customs duties by understating the plants' value, said Jan Lanning, an official at HBAG Flowers and Plants, which represents Dutch exporters.
Chaloulakos said her company had satisfied Dutch inspectors that its original documentation and anti-pest standards were in order. However, Ton van der Molen, a spokesman for the Dutch Agriculture Ministry, said while authorities perform stringent tests before certifying shipments, the system is not foolproof. Two days of talks between Dutch and Russian agriculture officials in Moscow last week brought no breakthrough, but further efforts are under way, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Dutch counterpart Ben Bot said in Moscow Wednesday.
"We hope the problem will be solved by August ... because every day we are losing a lot of money," Bot said.
Of the $7.4 billion of flowers that the Netherlands exports annually, $160 million worth are sold to Russia — up 15 percent in the first half of 2004 over the same period a year ago, according to Dutch Agriculture Ministry data. Russians spend about $450 million a year on flowers, said Alexander Tsepov of the wholesaler 7 Tsvetov (Seven Flowers).
Cut flowers are integral to Russia's emotional life. Both men and women happily accept bouquets and ahead of major holidays, virtually everyone buys flowers. Flowers have linked Russia with the Netherlands since the mid-17th century, when Czar Alexei Romanovich invited foreigners to settle in Russia and Dutch arrivals brought a greenhouse with bulbs, roses and other plants.
Moscow vendors said some Dutch flowers were still arriving via Germany, while other countries, particularly in Latin America, were moving to fill the gap.