Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, opening the 2015 Hortiflora Expo, International Trade Fair at the Millennium Hall on Saturday, March 27, 2015, said even if the horticulture export industry is a newborn, it had recorded astonishing growth in few years, Walta Inforamation Center reported.

The Premier told, the foreign exchange returns produced from the sector increased to 245 million USD in 2013/2014 Ethiopian budget year and had created job opportunities for more than 180,00 citizens.

The government is dedicated to record advanced export performances in floriculture and fruit and vegetables areas for the years to come, noted Halemariam.

He also expressed the fact that Ethiopia hosts the second high quality cut flowers growing company in Africa next to Kenya primarily for export to the international market.

Currently, nearly 130 foreign and local companies are engaged in the cultivation and export of horticultural products. Eighty percent of the companies are engaged in floriculture business and the remaining are operational in the area of vegetables, fruits and herbs development.

Crurrently the horticulture export industry is the fifth highest earner of foreign currency next to Coffee, Oil-seeds, Cereals and Chat.

Source: Walta Information Center