Ethiopia has earned $318 million from the export of flowers and other horticulture products in the concluded fiscal year, which ended July 7, 2019.
Ethiopia has generated $261 million form the export of flowers and the remaining $57 million was secured from vegetables, fruit and herbs export. This is indicated by Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC) Public Relations Director, Mekonnen Hailu.
The export of Ethiopia’s horticulture products has been increasing steadily from time to time and especially the flower sector takes the lion’s share in generating huge amount of the foreign currency, he added. Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, UK, USA, Japan, Norway, Germany, UAE, Belgium and Italy were the main export destinations of Ethiopian horticulture products.
More than 100 companies have been engaged in cultivation of flowers, fruit and vegetables as well as herbs and supplying high quality products to the international market, according to the Public Relations director.
So far, the horticulture export industry has created job opportunities for over 100,000 citizens in different parts of the country, it was indicated.
Ethiopia has huge investment potential in the horticulture sector and thus, the east African nation has managed to attract a number of foreign companies from the Netherlands, India, USA, Israel, Saudi Arabia, German, UK, France, Ecuador, Belgium, among others.
The east Africa nation is endowed with abundant agricultural resources and favorable climate and vast water resource that make the country suitable for horticulture development, he said, adding that five foreign companies from Netherland have recently shown interest to engage in the floriculture sector.
It also has encouraging investment policies and incentives packages that are attracting investors from all corners of the world, it was learned.