The ban on flower imports from Armenia will make carnations and roses more expensive in Russia.
Modern.az reports with reference to local media that after cognac and mineral water, the import of Armenian flowers, which Russian regulators consider dangerous for people, has been restricted since May 22. Market participants warn that this decision will lead to an increase in prices. According to them, some types of flowers have already started to become more expensive.
"Rossekholznadzor" justifies the ban by the fact that, despite the guarantees of their Armenian colleagues, "quarantine objects" continue to be found in the imported flower batches. The agency also assumes that these flowers may not be of Armenian origin at all and may be imported from other countries where imports are prohibited. According to experts, this statement directly targets the Netherlands. Thus, "Rossekholznadzor" had partially banned the import of seeds and seedlings ("planting materials") from the Netherlands in mid-2025.
The manager of one of Russia's large wholesale companies stated that although seedlings, potted flowers and other planting materials were once brought from the Netherlands to Russia via Armenia, this was on a very limited scale. However, he added that Armenia itself is a country that supplies a large volume of flowers to Russia, so the restriction of supplies will be seriously felt in the market. According to the assessment of the "Flowwow" flower and gift platform, Armenia accounted for approximately 5% of the Russian flower market in natural terms and 7% in monetary terms.
An employee of the wholesale company noted that the restriction of supplies from Armenia will cause a sharp jump in the price of roses, carnations and tulips in particular. Another wholesale entrepreneur emphasized that the price of those flowers had already increased by 5-7% just a few hours after the ban was announced. The entrepreneur did not hide his serious concern at the moment:
"Since the morning, a whole truck of flowers I ordered from Armenia has been standing at the border. The main thing is that they can cross the border by midnight. If they can't, we will have to lose and write off the entire batch."
