The amount of cultivated land dedicated to growing tulips in Drenthe has significantly increased in recent decades. Back in 2000, there were 500 hectares in the province where tulip, lily, narcissus and hyacinth bulbs were grown. Nowadays, the bulbs cover 1,900 hectares of land in Drenthe, making the northern province the fourth largest bulb producer in the Netherlands.
Across the Netherlands, 26,600 hectares of land are used to cultivate flower bulbs, most of which are exported across the globe. With 13,000 hectares, the province of North Holland grows the most bulbs and accounts for half of the national total. South Holland and Flevoland come in second and third place in terms of land set aside for growing bulbs.
Drenthe cultivates lilies (1,382 hectares), tulips (287 hectares) and miscellaneous other varieties (182 hectares). Most of the land allocated to growing the bulbs is in the municipality of Midden-Drenthe.