By Wallace Mawire
Ethiopia will host the Hortiflora expo 2023 from 8 to 10 March in Addis Ababa, according to Dick van Raamsdonk, General Manager for HPP Ethiopia.
Raamsdonk said that it was decided that Hortiflora will be held for the 8th time in 2023, originally scheduled as a Biennial Trade Fair 2021.
The organizers said that because of Covid-19 the exhibition was rescheduled to 2023 and for this reason Hortiflora 2023 will take place at the Millennium Hall, very close to the international airport.
They add that with this venue it has found an excellent location to promote Ethiopia’s Floricultural and Horticultural Industries and able to show the world what it has to offer during Hortiflora 2023.
The organizers add that the Expo will not only serve as a platform for exhibiting national and international suppliers who want to meet Ethiopian growers, but as well for exhibiting Ethiopian growers who want to meet international buyers of flowers and fresh produce.
They add that production of vegetables and fruits still takes place on a modest scale, but is momentarily growing rapidly as well.
They say that with the current available stand spaces, the trade fair has room to grow and allocate not only more and bigger sized stands, but as well exhibit more sectors that are important for the perishable export industry of Ethiopia.
The Ethiopian Horticulture and Floriculture Industry developed itself in the past 20 years into a full grown player and put itself on the world map as one of the leading exporters of cut flowers and fresh produce.
The area for greenhouses grew in these decades with an average of about 50 hectares per month. Consequently exports accelerated the need for airfreight capacity considerably and the process of accomplishment is well on track,according to the organizers.
They say that the Ethiopian government by putting a lot of emphasis on the development of the Ethiopian Floriculture and Horticulture Industry is responsible for a great deal of the enormous achievement.
They add that besides the Ethiopians themselves, also Israeli and Dutch growers have made considerable efforts to establish Horticulture and Floriculture businesses in Ethiopia in recent years.
Organizers add that as far as the Floriculture sector is concerned, Ethiopia went through a similar development as Ecuador went through back in 1992. Although the circumstances were not exactly the same, there are many characteristics that looked alike. These include climate, altitude, landscape and proximity of an international airport in relation to the location of the flower farms, are circumstances that one can also find in Ecuador, a country that also developed a highly successful export industry of cut flowers.
