A happy new year 2012!!
We sincerely express our sympathy for the people who suffered the earthquake.

Still Japanese flower industry is in hard condition. Flower bulbs that we JFTA : Japan Flowerbulb Traders’ Assn. handle are not exception. The estimated quantity of lily bulbs which Japan imported in 2011 is about 140 million, it is about 70% of the peak, and also tulip bulbs for forcing might decrease to one third of the peak. Further, consumption of flowers went down after the earthquake, and it made the situation much harder.

We importers can survive together with flower growers. We did several activities to make the circumstance a little better, surely our ability is limited though.
1, The 10th “Ms. Lily 2011-2012” is Miss Emi Takei, she is a very popular young actress. We held the reward ceremony in “Flower Dream” of JFTD, the biggest Japanese florists’ group, in front of many audiences at Tokyo Big Site on July 2nd 2011. Now, JFTD is doing “Happy Mother To Be” campaign, that is the promotion which“ Shall we present lily to women with thanks”. They are doing it all year round, at any flower-shops of JFTD for a long time. The campaign is going well steadily.

2, JFTA, JFGA; Japan Flower Growers’ Assn. and IBC; International Flower-Bulb Center Holland cooperated together to have a JBF; Japan Bulb Flower booth in IFEX; International Flower Expo in Tokyo from Oct.13th to 15th 2011. In the booth, we showed many attractive and good quality lily flowers which were grown in Japan, they were so impressive, and also various bulbs and tubers to suggest how to enjoy and how to sell them. The booths of domestic grown flowers have decreased in IFEX. On the other hand, there are many booths of imported flowers. We concerned that guests of exhibition who don’t know well about the production situation might misunderstand domestic grown lily flowers are not available at that time. So we dared to participate in it on behalf of Japanese lily flower growers.

3, We started some tax system to establish “Promotion Fund Japan” from autumn in 2011. Both importers and exporters of lily bulbs must donate 0.1% each( total 0.2%) of invoice amounts. We will start bigger and more effective promotion by this fund to enlarge the consumption of lily flowers in Japan from 2012 .

Our target is to inform the fascination and wide assortment of bulb flowers, and to supply “Really good quality flowers” to market throughout a year.

Anyhow, we should cooperate with people who grow and sell the flowers to solve the problems and to survive in this hard period. We appreciate if you understood and supported us.
Thank you!!

　　
Jan.1st 2012
The chairman of JFTA; Japan Flowerbulb Traders’ Assn.
Hiroshi Nakamura