Air, Feature, Freight News

Cargo figures coming up roses for Heathrow

[ February 13, 2017   //   Chris ]

Even with the current shortage and premium prices of green veg, there’s little sign that Britain’s husbands are offering the Missus a bunch of broccoli as an alternative to the usual Valentine’s Day bunch of red roses. Heathrow airport says that its latest figures show a spike (or should that be thorn?) in imports of roses with almost 8 million stems – 570 tonnes – expected to be imported in February.

Heathrow points out that a single rose sent on Valentine’s day is traditionally seen as a declaration of true love, a statement with which we readily concur, given the prices of the things in our local supermarket. However, the airport hastily adds – perhaps mindful of the welfare of its cargo business – that a dozen roses is symbolic of complete love.

Red roses may also be England’s national flower but as Valentine’s Day inconveniently falls in the middle of the coldest winter month most sold at this time of year are likely to be from abroad. In 2015, Kenyan roses accounted for 60% of rose imports at Heathrow – with the remainder from Colombia, India, Tanzania, and Ecuador.

 

Tags: Heathrow