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Area used to grow bulbs up by more than a fifth since 2013
More than half of the agricultural land used for flower bulb cultivation is dedicated to growing tulips. In 2023, this area increased by 32 percent to over 15 thousand hectares relative to 10 years previously.
The area used to grow lilies also increased by nearly 28 percent. The increase in the area used to grow tulips and lilies seems to have dominated other popular bulb varieties such as narcissi (-11 percent) and gladioli (-33 percent).
In 2023, the area of agricultural land used for bulb cultivation increased by 21 percent to over 28 thousand hectares relative to 10 years previously. The number of farms active in cultivating bulbs alongside other agricultural activities has increased, but fewer farms do this as their main activity. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this on the basis of definitive figures taken from the 2023 Agricultural Census.
The total number of farms active in flower bulb cultivation has increased by 7 percent to 1,639 in the previous ten years, representing a 108-percent increase on 2013. This includes farms that grow flower bulbs as a secondary activity alongside other agricultural activities, as well as farms that grow flower bulbs as their main activity. Until 2013, the number of cultivaters was still declining steadily.