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Exporting dried
flowers and plants Dried flowers
are not exported on a commercial scale at present, though there
are sporadic instances of exports on irregular intervals, an EDB
statement said. Total world
trade in dried flowers and parts of plant were around $ 89 million
in 1999 according to available statistics and is expected to have
increased by now. World trade in value added herbal medicine, herbal
teas and other products in the range is around $3.6 to $4.4 billion. Dried flowers
and plants considered as eco-friendly have a high demand in EC countries
mainly in Germany, the USA and Japan. These are mainly used for
potpourri, for flower arrangements and for producing eco-friendly
natural fragrances in preference to artificial air-fresheners. The
U.K. is the biggest potpourri market in the EEC for both imports
and exports. The EDB said
it identified floricultural products as having market potential
and started assisting the sector in 1980. The progress
has been considerable, quality of products have improved and Sri
Lanka is known as a producer of quality flowers and plants. However,
the needs of diversification have been felt due to a number of reasons.
Under each
category of products, the assortment is limited and the production
of the limited varieties by several companies has led to competition
among companies for uneconomic profit margins. The perishable
nature of fresh flowers and plants, limited air cargo space and
unavailability of regular flights to major markets have adversely
affected the industry. In the case of dried flowers the flight time
and duration will not be a problem as well as the space. They can be
sent to any market in the world by sea freight. The competition
for fresh flowers and plant material is very high and the high cost
of freight makes it difficult to compete in the European and USA
markets. Major suppliers
of dried flowers and plant material are India, South Africa, Israel,
China, Australia, Kenya, Mexico and the Netherlands. Sri Lanka enjoys
a number of advantages being in the tropical belt but at the same
time having diverse climatic conditions and terrain suitable to
develop a range of floricultural products ranging from tropical
to temperate flora. A number of natural botanic resources can be
used for the development of the dried flower industry. Farmer communities
could be set up for production bases and this will create a number
of employment opportunities due to the labour intensive nature of
the cultivation. As dried flowers and plants do not face the high
risk of perishability in transport and the quality also does not
become as crucial, a chain of small farmers for collection and exports
could be established. Among the varieties
that could be developed are not only flowers, plants and parts but
fruits and vegetables such as pineapple, manioc, kiriala, leeks,
tomato, capsicum, seasonal fruits, mango, papaya and melon are also
used to produce fragrances, the EDB statement added. Considering
the high potential for the development of this sector the Asian
Productivity Organisation has offered to assist the EDB in the development
of the sector. A resource person has been allocated who will work
with the Agriculture Division of the EDB. A field survey
will be carried out to identify natural botanic resources that can
be used for the production of dried flowers and fruits. A seminar for
this purpose will be held on August 16 at the auditorium of the
EDB from 9.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. The world market and future trends
for dried flowers and dried plant material, potential markets and
customer needs, possibility of marketing currently available products,
planning price strategies to be competitive in the export market,
monitoring profitability, process of drying flowers and plant material
and quality maintenance and packaging are the main topics that will
be dealt with. Around 50 growers
and exporters of cut flowers, potential entrepreneurs willing to
establish export oriented dried flower projects, scientists and
officials from universities, entrepreneurs who have done trials
on drying fruits and vegetables, cut flowers and foliage for the
herbal industry and the food industry and Department of Agriculture,
Industrial Development Board (IDB), and the Industrial Technology
Institution (ITI) will participate at the seminar. A half-day
meeting also will be held with the companies engaged in the herbal
industry to create an awareness on development of edible herb/medicine
from dried flowers The resource
person is Kunio Ishizuka, a Japanese consultant for dried flowers
with 22 years' experience in designing and production of dried flowers
and who has worked for one of the biggest dried flower companies
in Japan. |
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