EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a good news since the flower farms in Ethiopia are destroying the soil. The Woyanne-affiliated flower exporters are using chemical fertilizers that are toxic to the soil and nearby lakes.
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – Ethiopia says it is seeking new buyers for its fresh flowers because the global economic downturn is cutting sales in its main market, The Netherlands.
Tsegaye Abebe, head of the state-run Horticulture Development Association, told a news conference late on Saturday the Netherlands bought 65 percent of Ethiopia’s flower exports.
“But the recession affecting the European country is also affecting our revenue,” he said.
Abebe said Ethiopia was now only expecting to earn 60 percent of a projected $280 million from flower exports this year.
The Horn of Africa nation earned $177.6 million last year from the sale of some 1.5 billion stems, the government says.
Ethiopia is now trying to attract buyers in Dubai, Asia, Scandinavia, Russia and the United States to boost income, Tsegaye said.
Offering tax breaks to attract investment, Ethiopia hopes flower exports will overtake coffee and be worth $1 billion annually within five years. Flower farming employs about 60,000 people in the huge country, mostly women.
Neighbouring Kenya earned about $1 billion from horticulture in 2007. Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda are also developing their fresh flower export industries.
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FORUM | 3 Comments
The flower/flowers is the enemy of soil, in europe and many others countries flowers are banned.
The woyanes and their masters are trying to convert Ethiopia into desert.
Ethiopians must be encouraged to burn down the flower field to conserve their land .
[Reply]
March 3rd, 2009 at 6:34 AM
ha ha ha
Yes we dont like woyane. but lets keep our comments into perspective.
[Reply]
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:51 PM
Have you seen what your own people are doing to the soil? Teff farmers have destroyed the soil in the region around lake Koka. In some places there is only 10-15 cm left of the soil left above the bedrock. That means the topsoil is already gone and the farmers are farming on the subsoil.
So before you accuse the flower farms get to know your facts about proper agricultural practice.
Erosion is massive throughout Ethiopia. Your own people are turning this country into desert not the government or the investors in flowers.
[Reply]
March 5th, 2009 at 2:17 AM