German breeder producer Dümmen is expanding its product lines and production in vegetative annuals at new farms in Kenya. One farm has 68,200 square feet of greenhouse on a 15.5-acre site. Another is through a partnership with 34,100 square feet of greenhouse on an 8-acre site.
"This year Dümmen made the decision to expand its business in vegetative cuttings," says Perry Wismans, Dümmen’s chief business development officer. "We always have been known as a leading producer in the big industrial crops–geraniums, New Guinea impatiens and poinsettias. After introducing a number of other product lines over the past years, now the step has been set to become a full supplier in vegetative annuals."
So far, these expanded lines include osteospermum and calibrachoa. Petunias and begonias also are key crops.
With farms in Costa Rica, Ethiopia and Kenya, Dümmen produces 159 million cuttings a year. For more details on the top cuttings producers, stay tuned for our Mid-September Young Plants issue and future editions of Benchrunner.