In recent years, the floral industry has been caught in a whirlwind of rapidly changing global and local regulations, making it difficult for service providers to keep up. As technology evolves, the business landscape becomes increasingly challenging. This raises an important question: how can the floriculture sector not only survive but thrive amidst these formidable obstacles?
Last week, I encountered news highlighting the urgent need for flower exporters to adopt more responsible chemical application practices than ever before. The latest advisory report from the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, published on January 21, 2026, marks a crucial turning point for the global cut-flower industry and its supply chain. This is particularly significant for leading non-European Union flower producers and exporters, such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Ecuador, and Colombia. Based on extensive sampling of imported roses from the past two seasons, the report reveals that residue levels exceed the safety thresholds established by regulatory agencies. The irresponsible use of chemicals and their residues poses significant occupational health risks to florists, auction personnel, and inspectors who routinely handle these flowers.
Moreover, the report highlights environmental concerns, particularly the risk of contaminating soil ecosystems, which can harm beneficial organisms such as bacteria, fungi, earthworms, and bees. These disruptions compromise essential processes, including pollination, nutrient cycling, and soil fertility, especially when floral waste is integrated into organic waste streams or composting operations.
The root of the issue lies in the intensive treatments and chemicals used in exporting countries to meet stringent European Union phytosanitary requirements—a process not directly supervised by Dutch authorities due to international law.Under the International Plant Protection Convention, it is the responsibility of the exporting country to inspect and certify that goods meet the import requirements of the destination country. In Ethiopia, the newly established Ethiopian Agricultural Authority is tasked with scrutinizing and confirming that exportable flowers meet the import requirements of the Netherlands and European Union member countries. At this stage, I cannot definitively assess the Authority’s capacityto thoroughly examine chemical residue levels in flower productsand certify compliance with the current standards of the destination market.
In response, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority recommends a range of forward-thinking measures: establishing regulatory residue limits for non-EU imports, enacting interim worker protections, initiating consumer awareness campaigns, improving waste management protocols, strengthening border surveillance, expanding research to include other ornamentals and edible flowers, and promoting voluntary supply-chain initiatives that exceed minimum legal standards.
I assert that the true significance of Ethiopia’s horticulture industry lies not only in its impressive revenue of over $500 million but also in its role as a critical lifeline for thousands of families. The approximately 84 active farms represent more than just businesses; they are centers of opportunity and employment, making this sector the most vital engine for job creation and foreign exchange in the country today. With 16 years of experience in Ethiopia’s floriculture landscape, I view this report not merely as a warning, but as an electrifying catalyst—an invitation to strive for unparalleled excellence. Ethiopian growers have successfully navigated Europe’s rigorous demands, mastering phytosanitary compliance, quality benchmarks, and sustainability certifications with remarkable agility. The findings of the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority align with the EU’s accelerated push toward harmonized safeguards, now extending scrutiny to pesticide residues in non-food ornamentals, despite the current lack of binding maximum residue levels (MRLs) for roses and summer flowers.
Admittedly, the path forward intensifies competition: increased sampling, shipment-by-shipment residue testing, and potentially lower maximum residue levels could raise rejection risks, compliance costs, and market disadvantages for operations lacking sophisticated residue management systems. Short-term pressures may necessitate a swift transition to biological controls, organic alternatives, and low-toxicity integrated pest management (IPM), with non-compliant shipments facing destruction, rapid alerts, or outright import bans.
Herein lies an exhilarating opportunity for Ethiopian floriculture. Since 2019, growers have reduced the use of the most environmentally harmful products by an impressive 56%. This achievement is driven by strategic investments in integrated pest management (IPM), biological agents, digital training platforms for occupational health and environmental stewardship, and collaborative efforts to combat pests like the False Codling Moth. Instead of viewing regulation as a constraint, proactive alignment with food-crop-equivalent residue thresholds positions Ethiopian roses as exemplars of purity and sustainability. This differentiation attracts premium buyers, strengthens partnerships, mitigates reputational risks, and ensures lasting access to the EU market.
The sector’s dynamism amplifies these stakes. Evolving EU standards reflect a growing consumer demand for ethical and eco-friendly products. At the same time, climate change introduces significant challenges—rising temperatures, erratic precipitation, prolonged droughts, and water scarcity—that threaten high-altitude rose cultivation, which relies on stable conditions. While Ethiopia’s diverse agro-ecology provides resilience, the increasing stressors require adaptive innovation: robust residue-monitoring protocols, comprehensive traceability, accelerated climate-smart practices, and diversified horticultural portfolios to mitigate risks associated with reliance on a single product.
Despite its significance, some critics argue that in an era of rising trade protectionism and stringent marketing standards, diversifying horticultural export products is essential for building sustainable, competitive, and resilient marketing systems. They caution that relying solely on flower exports could leave Ethiopia vulnerable to sudden import bans or stricter maximum chemical residue levels. Diversifying exportable products allows for easier trade redirection if one product is rejected, thereby minimizing overall economic impact. As global requirements such as food safety, maximum residue levels, and environmental standards become increasingly stringent, diversifying agricultural exports is critical for Ethiopia. Stricter sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures in international markets mean that diversification helps exporters spread risks, access new markets with different standards, and enhance value.
Diversification is a crucial necessity. Over-reliance on cut flowers exposes the sector to sudden import restrictions or tighter MRLs amid increasing global trade protectionism and SPS scrutiny. Expanding the export basket to include fruits, vegetables, and other ornamentals spreads risk, accesses markets with varying standards, and strengthens value chains for greater resilience and economic impact.
In conclusion, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority report serves not only as a cautionary signal but also as an exciting call to redefine excellence. Through coordinated action—government support in technical assistance and funding via the Ministry of Agriculture, deepening international alliances with Dutch auctions, breeders, and certifiers, and an unwavering commitment to sustainability as a core competitive advantage—Ethiopian floriculture can turn regulatory evolution from a perceived obstacle into a powerful catalyst for innovation, quality, and prosperity.
Global regulatory tightening is not a barrier; it is a crucible that refines superior standards, enhances market positioning, and secures long-term success in a discerning marketplace. Ethiopia’s floral renaissance has already demonstrated its strength—embracing these standards proactively will elevate it to even greater heights, delivering lasting benefits for farms, workers, communities, and the nation.
Mekonnen Solomon is Former Director of Horticultural Investment, Ministry of Agriculture and can be reached at ehdaplan@gmail.com
