The world production of ornamental plants and flowers covers an estimated area of 190 thousand hectares. This market moves amounts nearing US$ 16 billion per year at producer level, US$ 44 billion per year at retail level, and values exceeding US$ 5 billion in terms of exports (Motos, 2003)⁵.
            In 1999, the intercountry trade of floriculture products moved US$ 7,9 billion, the main exporters being Holland (51,5%) and Colombia (6,9%). In this scenario, Brazil ranked 31st, accounting for a mere 0,2 percent of the global market (Pathfast, 2001)⁶.
            The Brazilian Export Program of Ornamental Plants and Flowers (FloraBrasilis), created by the Brazilian government in October 2000 through both the Brazilian Export Promotion Agency (APEX) and the Brazilian Institute of Floriculture (IBRAFLOR) (FloraBrasilis, 2001)³, had the initial ambitious target of raising export from US$ 11 million in 2000 to US$ 80 million per year until 2003 (Programa, 2003)⁷, later postponed to 2004 (Vários, 2003)⁸ and to 2005 (Farid, 2003)².
            How to face this challenge? One way forward must be through an objective analysis of the historic and detailed balance of the figures in this market so as to improve the return index of campaigns disseminating Brazilian products and suit them in the mid and long terms.
            This research has a twofold focus: to quantify the main products in the Brazilian export agenda for ornamental plants and flowers, and to identify the country’s main commercial partners, thus making way for a better understanding of the sector
            Data from1997 to 2002 data were used from the Secretariat of Foreign Trade (SECEX) of the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (MDIC) (Ministério, 2003)⁴ detailing the products from the import & export agenda for live plants and floriculture products by category and by economic bloc and classified according to Chapter 6 of the South Cone Common Terminology (NCM) (details are shown on Table 1).

Brazilian Trade of Floriculture Products, 1997-2002

            The total value of the exports of live plants and floriculture products over 1997-2002, by Position, reveals different degrees of participation: the group encompassing ornamental’s nursery plants (NCM 0602) represents 56% of the total value; the group of bulbs (NCM 0601) 28%, and the foliage (NCM 0604) and bouquet flowers groups (NCM 0603) represent, each, 8% of the Brazilian export value. In this period, although the total balance of the Brazilian trade of live plants and floriculture products was always positive, the thorough analysis, i.e. by Position, registered deficit in the flowers for bouquets category (Table 2).

Bulbs, Tuber and Rhizomes

            Brazilian exports of bulbs, tuber and rhizomes over 1997-2002 grew from US$ 2,9 million to US$ 4,0 million, the main commercial partner being the European Union which, in 2002, imported from Brazil US$ 3,6 million, accounting for 90,4% of the total exported. The remaining percentage was occupied by the NAFTA, the MERCOSUR and Chile. Brazilian imports experienced steady growth in the period, increasing from US$ 695 thousand in 1997 to US$ 2,4 million in 2002. In 2002, exclusively, the European Union (99,8%) and the NAFTA (0,2%) were the commercial partners so, in this case, the former was Brazil’s main partner (Table 3).

Table 1 - List of Products that compose the Chapter 06 of the South Cone Common Terminology (NCM), Live Plants and Floriculture Products

Table 2 – Commercial Balance of Flowers and Ornamental Plants, Brazil, 1997-2002
(in US$ FOB)

Table 3 - Export and Import of Brazilian Bulbs, Tubers and Rhizomes, by Main Destiny and Origin, 1997-2002
(in US$ FOB)

Nursery Plants of Ornamentals and Other Live Plants

            The export value for this category, occupying the largest slice in the live plants and floriculture products item, increased from US$ 6,3 million in 1997 to US$ 8,3 million in 2002, being the main buyers the European Union (80,5% of the exported value) and Japan, whose imports ranged from 10,6% to 14,8% of the total Brazil exports. Regarding imports, Chile is the second major supplier of this item, after the European Union. The blocs and countries herein analyzed account for 99,7% of the total value of Brazilian exports and 76% of the imports in 2002 (Table 4).

Cut Flowers for Bouquets

            The exports value of flowers for bouquets, sharply slumped in 2000 and 2001, recovered growth in 2002, reaching US$ 1,2 million and returning to the 1999 levels. As a result, the commercial deficit of this category lowered to US$ 87,2 thousand. (Table 2). Brazil basically imports from two Latin American countries: Colombia and Ecuador, having imported in 2002, respectively 82,1% and 17,1%. The main buyers of Brazilian products are the NAFTA and the European Union which, in 2002, imported respectively, 51,6% and 43,5% of the value of Brazilian sales abroad. Thus the economic bloc herein analyzed encompassed almost 100% of the value moved both in exports and exports (Table 5).

Table 4 - Export and Import of Brazilian Young plants of Ornamentals and Live Plants, by Main Destiny and Origin, 1997-2002
(in US$ FOB)

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