For and by the trade

Promoting interests at home and abroad, solving problems, answering queries, arranging debt collections, providing terms and conditions of sale and offering a wide range of services. That is the core business of Anthos, the Royal Trade Association for Nursery Stock and Flower Bulbs. 

For and by business

Anthos represents the companies that trade in flower bulbs and nursery stock products in many consultative structures with governments and organisations at home and abroad. That way, their interests are promoted in the best possible way, while the organisation contributes to an improved business climate for its members in the sector. 

The field for promotion of interests covers a wide area, and this is where Anthos is active. For instance, the organisation is co-responsible for the sector policy in the flower bulb and nursery stock industry in the Netherlands. On behalf of the trade, Anthos participates in organisations, committees and other consultative structures, dealing with promotion, market access, quality, plant health issues, the environment, customs issues, education, research, logistics and spatial planning. 

Trade and sales

The total export value of flower bulbs is approximately 650 mln.euro per year. The United States is the leading export destination (120 mln.euro), followed by Germany (72 mln.euro), Japan (66 mln.euro), UK (58 mln.euro) and France (46 mln.euro). Russia and China may be considered as “new markets” with an export value of 22 mln.euro. The nursery stock business is more focused on the European markets as 90% of the total sales (460 mln.euro) is sold within the borders of the European Union: Germany (145 mln.euro), UK (92 mln.euro), France (32 mln.euro), Belgium (22 mln.euro) and the United States (19 mln.euro). 

Anthos fulfills a supervisory role in the development of (inter) national policies for market access (e.g. United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Russia) and offering assistance in the event of trade barriers in countries all over the world. Besides, the organisation and its members are co-financing and advising the promotion policy in the flower bulb and nursery stock business. 

More than 50 years ago, Anthos signed agreements with the United States Department of Agriculture and the Canadian Department of Agriculture. With both countries, it was agreed that all plant health inspections in the Netherlands would be carried out by inspectors of the American and Canadian Plant Health Inspection Services together with their Dutch colleagues. This so- called pre clearance program includes all flower bulbs and a very broad assortment of Dutch perennials. As all products are already inspected in the Netherlands, no inspections take place in the US and Canada, which gives important advantages to all parties involved: both importing countries have a very low risk on the entrance of quarantine and quality diseases and the trade companies have very important logistical advantages, as they have no delay in the ports of entry and, moreover, if there is any problem it is solved prior to the shipment of the container. Yearly more than 3.500 sea- containers with bulbs and perennials are shipped under the preclearance program to the US and Canada. The program is financed by Anthos and the budget of the program is approximately 1 million euro per year. 

History

Anthos (formerly known as the Royal DWAFN) was established on 1 July 1996, following the merger between the Association for Flower Bulb Traders (1900) and the Association for Plant Traders (1917). During the celebrations of its 100^th anniversary, the organisation received the designation ‘Royal’ by Her Majesty Queen Beatrix in 2000. Anthos can pride itself upon a long record of service, with policies being drawn up by and for entrepreneurs and the implementation being in the hands of a professional secretariat. 

Anthos, The Royal Trade Association for Nursery Stock and Flower Bulbs