CARNATION TRENDS IN ISRAEL

Israel is one of the major world carnation producers and exporters, with about 360 hectars of growing area in greenhouses, and producing over 600 million flowers annually. Yet there are several features by which carnation culture in Israel differs from that of other major producers of the world:

1. Almost all the carnations grown and all those exported are spray carnation cultivars. Standard carnation cultivars are grown almost exclusively for the local market.
2. Most of the production is aimed for export mainly to Europe, with a small but growing, percentage exported to the USA. Export is restricted mainly to the winter period from mid November to Mother's Day. There is, of course, some year-round production for the domestic market.
3. Almost all the production is by small family operated farms in cooperative villages.