Ecuador’s flower exports keep its economy blooming

Global Business

Ecuador is the world’s third-largest exporter of cut flowers, three quarters of which are roses, and the business keeps itself blooming.
CCTV America’s Dan Collyns filed this report from Quito, Ecuador.

Ecuador\'s flower exports keep its economy blooming

Ecuador is the world's third-largest exporter of cut flowers, three quarters of which are roses, and the business keeps itself blooming. CCTV America's Dan Collyns filed this report from Quito, Ecuador.

Highlights:

  • BellaRosa grows its roses in these long polytunnels under the fierce equatorial sun. The company has expanded its cultivation eightfold since it began 20 years ago – harvesting tens of thousands of flowers a day.
  • The less-than perfect flowers get recycled for compost as part of a drive to reduce pesticide use and boost sustainability, while the rosiest get brought to the shop, sorted and graded.
  • Workers churn out 25 bunches an hour and more than $350 a month, almost a hundred dollars ahead of other South American rivals in the flower business. With more than 100,000 employees, the industry is the biggest employer in the highlands around Quito.
  • In Ecuador, they’re using a new technique to make these flowers in a multitude of colors.