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Business 54 May | 2022 aim at construction of shared values. An example of this occurred during the pandemic: e cut fl ower sector not only maintained jobs but also generated more jobs and contributed to municipalities by strengthening their medical and hospital capacities and their infrastructure for virtual education, as well as the purchase of COVID-19 test kits and, later, vaccines for its workers. Asocolfl ores, the Association of Colombian Flower Exporters was founded in 1973 to represent, promote and strengthen the competitiveness of Colombian fl oriculture and its main markets. It oversees and promotes many initiatives that support the fl ower sector and help the Colombian people. "Some of the outstanding initiatives in the contribution to communities is the one carried out by some fl ower growers to the communities in which they operate, with the establishment of educational infrastructure and support for early childhood. Along these lines are strategies such as the one promoted by Asocolfl ores some time ago, called Comunidades de Aprendizaje (learning communities), which enabled the development of facilities and the improvement of the academic level of a dozen educational institutions in the Antioquia and Cundinamarca departments [regions] of Colombia," Asocolfl ores explains. Ecuador Ecuador is the world's largest producers of roses. e country's location off ers the fertile soil, ideal temperatures and amount of sunlight that make roses fl ourish year-round. Flower farms in Ecuador also grow many other types of cut fl owers: For example, in addition to roses, Sande Flowers grows premium quality callas, Oriental and L.A. hybrid lilies, Ranunculus, Scabiosa, Alstroemeria, Chrysanthemum, Gerbera, Consolida (larkspur), Gladiolus, bells-of-Ireland, Limonium, Hypericum and much more—as well as cut foliages. As it has in Colombia, the cut fl ower industry has created good jobs for thousands of people in Ecuador. Netherlands e Netherlands is the largest producer of cut fl owers in the world and a key importer of cut fl owers from developing countries. e country's logistic position within Europe and established international trade ties make the Netherlands the main trade hub for the European fl ower industry—and, some may say, the world. According to Union Fleurs, an international fl ower trade association based in Brussels, Belgium, the Netherlands plays a key role in the distribution of fl owers and plants: Currently, 45 percent of the world trade transits or is facilitated via the Netherlands. Floriculture is one of the most lucrative industries in the Netherlands, and the Aalsmeer Flower Auction is considered the fl ower trade capital of the world. Aalsmeer Flower Auction

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