Keigo Nakamura

Thank you for your cooperation.
I have visited Holland from May 20 to June 2nd to check the variety, quality, bulb production situation etc, and report you as follow.

①Is it Summer or Winter!?

2 days before I left Japan, temperature in Holland was Maximum 15, lowest 3 degrees, which is quite cold. But when I arrives Amsterdam on Sunday, it was 23 degrees warm and day after became 25 to 30 degrees hot. I didn’t use sweater and Jacket at all, also Dutch people enjoyed sunshine at riverside and cafe.

Summery from lanting to now is as follows:

Planting (March to beginning April):smooth work with warm weather at end of March.
April:temperature was average, little more rain.
First half of May :More cloudy and rain than usual, low temperature. Light frost happened at East part of Holland in middle of May.
End of May to now：Max temp went down from 20 to 15, back to winter again?

Generally temperature stays lower, growth in field some delay and plant height was still low, but not specific extreme weather.

②Level of breeding became high, and strict competition.

Many new varieties were introduced this year too. Breeders selection is in right direction, leads general variety became high standard, so most can be used (often not perfect still), and became severe competition with slight difference.

It would be nice to install most variety in Japan though, rare character is just fun for niche market, which demand can’t fit the scale of production in Holland, and bulb production stop in future is not nice.

To estimate carefully the possibility in few years, small defect of character is concerned. It become strict selection like confirming why we can’t select, such as leaf burn, bud deform, low buds count, low height, bad formation, bad flower form, soft stem, bad base life, and also growth in Japanese climate etc. 　

OT may be supposed to check more, because worldwide sales is increasing, and many new variety is coming up, but actually good sold variety is just Robina, Conca D’or and Manissa. Growers also understand the situation and hesitate to buy license.

Attention to OT new generation. Most OT so far was Triploid which seems T blood in form and base life strongly. Now Tetraploid like OTOO(?) is coming with almost Orientals looks.

Missoni from Van Zanten (picture)is less smell, slow buds opening, better base life. We see same improvement at Vletter& Den Haan too.

There are other tetra variety like mixture with L, T, O.
Including Table Dance on sales, if base life was improved, OT might be valued in the auction.

③Approach to Virus problem.

Infection spreads in major production variety too like Tiber and Star Fighter with many lots. Some fields were destroyed after problem was found.

Together with exporter and growers discussed about tolerance for mother bulbs 0.5% to 0%. It’s still deep problem, but grower self start destroy infection lot more and more, and improvement is seen.

After Eliza test result, each exporters keep away from infection lot, which is expected to general improvement.

LMoV is found more in NL crop 2011 is explained with bad weather in spring last year. Also it’s pointed that stem selection in the field was not enough, because field is managed by contract grower with few people can’t work well, without owner grower himself does.

It was ordinary work in past, so growers remind and should systemize the stem selection with contract grower.

④Situation of NL crop 2012

Situation is different from report on May 21. Acreage of Oriental is expected decrease 3-15 %, because growers thrown away infected planting stock. Since last week, market is getting active with major Siberia etc.
Also better quality is less available, so market price can increase.

⑤Europe economy Cool down

Euro crisis (end of bubble with too much spends) started with Greece is serious, house price became less than half in Spain. It is not only south Europe but Holland and UK is getting influence now.
　Agri field price in North Holland lowered 40%, price of building also decrease 10% in last 2 months. (People say some already gave up selling, so actual situation might be worse.)
When company borrow the money from bank, real estate is charged as guarantee, but now value is going down and financing is going to difficult.

⑥Study tour to Holland

Total 11 person with Driver Mr. Doudi got in the bus visited main breeding company, Flora Holland Auction, Lily factory at Pauuw (1 member did trial flower harvest experience!), Onings test house, Van Zanten breeding house, and bulb field (scaling, 1 year, 2 year grown) too.
In between, Mr.Jan de wit guided us beauty city and church in Enkhuizen, Mr. Johannes Noor from Van Zanten guided us more than 300 years old beautiful harbor village in Zealand, also many friendly people prepared nice food for us. All tour member thank you sincerely.
At the end of tour, we visited Notre-dame cathedral in Antwerpen, and shopping in Brussels. Also we walked around Floriade for 1 day, it was too cool to see flowering outside, but enjoyed wide area with many special booth explain each country like expo.

⑦Lily fest 2012 start tomorrow!!

I was praying Typhoon change the direction to south, weather forecast of June 6 first day and later seems continues fine.
Already 85% is flowering till yesterday, it result better flower quality than the other years too.
Lily Tower is completed. I hope it also used in other event.
Number of official guest became counted more than 1000 people which 138% to last year, all our staffs are looking forward to seeing you.
Many auction people assemble from north and south, also big flower chain and flower business relations come.
We offer lily forcers come here not only 1day, but all 3 days to meet friends and new contact.
June 6 tomorrow, President Mr.Yamada from Yukaen give us lecture about demand for funeral, don’t miss it.　
　For the guest from other prefectures, we offer the dinner party (Night Festa!?), so please contact us in advance for the reservation.