Importation halts farming of roses #nigeria

Meet Elizabeth Omoayena is a horticulture farmer who
deals in flowers, fruit trees and owns the All-Green Garden.
In this interview in Jos, she says the horticulture sector
which could employ many youths has been neglected by the
government. Excerpts:
How would you asses horticulture industry in plateau State?
The horticulture industry here, as far as the eye can see, is
thriving. A lot of people are coming to get plants.
Do people really value flowers to buy them?
Oh a lot! When I say a lot, we do very well. In fact, people
are so interested- when they see flowers, they say: 'This is
beautiful, interesting.' It's really encouraging.
Where do you get these flowers from?
We source them mostly locally but we do also import them.
We do bring in plants from other countries like Holland.
In some countries like Kenya, Ethiopia and South Africa,
farmers are making a lot of money from the export of
flowers. What is the situation in Nigeria?
The situation here is that government is not really
interested in horticultural activities. They are not interested,
both at the federal and state levels. We don't have federal
and state participation in our activities. They are not really
interested. Encouragement from them is not feasible. We
don't feel it.
What are the basic requirements for a farmer to start raising
plants or flowers for money?
First of all, I will say the interest. You can't just jump into
something you don't have interest on. Is not only about
money, you have to have the passion first before you will be
able to have a garden or praise plants for money. Also, you
need the land. Without the land you can't really get
anywhere. The land should be accessible to customers.
Then you have another big challenge which is that of water
supply because without it during the dry season your plants
will dry up.
The federal government is building a cargo airport for fresh
produce from the horticulture industry particularly the
vegetables. Do you also hope to export your flowers when
that project is completed?
Oh, very well. In fact, I will love that. We'll be waiting
prayerfully.
What sort of assistance do horticulturists like you need
from the government?
We want more of government participation in our activities,
if you observe very well we do employ a lot of people,
especially the youths. From what they get from us, they feed
their families. So we are very important to the society.
Government, at both federal and state levels, should come
to our aid in terms of seeds and seedlings procurement from
other countries. We want them at subsidise the price for us.
We also want the state government to give us land. If it
does that, it will become a tourist site because when people
come to Jos, they will like to visit the place to see the
beautiful flowers we have there.
I was told that the roses produced in Jos are the best in the
world. Is that correct?
Very correct! Our roses are wonderful. The roses we
produce on the plateau are wonderful. They are very
beautiful and good for export. So we want government to
come into that area very well. If they can help us with
seedlings to start with, which we can multiply, we will be
very happy. We used to produce these roses before but
something happened along the line because at a time,
importation of roses was banned in this country- I think
during Obasanjo's government-as a result, people went into
rose farming, buying rose seedlings from us to establish
farms so that they could grow roses to sell the blooms
(flowers) to other people and other countries. Somehow, I
don't know what happens, roses are now being imported
into the country, and that has brought the market down and
people are no longer interested in it. If something can be
done in that regard, we will appreciate it.
How many workers do you have here?
Four including myself because I am a worker too, I placed
myself on the payroll.
What incentives do you want from the government?
We also want to receive loan facilities. A lot of youth want
to go into horticultural practicing but they cannot afford to,
because the land is a big issue, you need to pay for the
land. Even the fertiliser that other farmers are getting-even
though we don't use inorganic fertiliser, but we use organic,
they can help us with that. I am pleading with the federal
government to help us with hybrid seedlings that other
countries can come and pick from us.
JOIN OUR BBM CHANNEL TODAY..C004D49AE