There are many reasons why we buy flowers. In some countries such as the Netherlands it is common to buy flowers for personal use whilst in Japan this would be unheard of. In many countries flowers are given as a gift to celebrate a birthday or a special day such as St Valentines Day or Mothers Day. Flowers are also used to express sympathy over bereavement. Over half the flowers purchased in Italy are used to decorate graves and funerals.
Many countries are self sufficient in the production of cut flowers.
Some are unable to satisfy their domestic demand and rely on imported flowers. The main consumers of imported flowers are shown in the data section . As might be expected in a country that is experiencing such high levels of poverty the domestic demand for cut flowers in Zambia is small. However, increasingly this area of floriculture is attracting farmers from LDCs such as Zambia. Although the European floriculturists dominate the world market the share of trade in cut flowers from LDCs such as Columbia, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Zambia is growing.