Floweriest must move away from imports - Mrs Amissah-Arthur

Mrs Matilda Amissah-Arthur, wife of the Vice President, has challenged Ghanaian floweriest to move from just importing flowers to sell to actually growing the plants themselves.

She said if Ghanaians started growing the flowers themselves to feed the local industries it would be better than importing them from other countries.

Mrs Amissah-Arthur was speaking at the closing ceremony of the Ghana Garden and Flower Show 2014 at the Efua Sutherland Park in Accra.

The show, which attracted horticulturist and floweriest across the country, is the flagship activity of the Innovative Ghana Garden and Flower Movement and organised by StratComm Africa.

The fair, which is on the theme: “Gardening for Value-Health, Beauty, Jobs and Income” is to contribute to the development and implementation of a national beautification and gardening policy and make Ghana attractive tourist destination.

Mrs Amissah-Arthur, a garden and flower enthusiast, recommended to Ghanaian businesses in the flower industry to work with one Professor Tawiah Sackey, a Scientist from the University of Ghana, who is an expert in reproduction to help them with the multiplication of their seedlings.

She said Prof Sackey had already done a lot of research in that field and "he is just waiting for Ghanaian floweriest and garners to tap into his expertise to help them succeed".

She urged the floweriest to put aside their differences and take advantage of the immense opportunity that the flower industry could bring to the country in terms of job creation, health, beauty and income.

Mrs Amissah-Arthur said beyond the commercial perspective, the health benefits and sheer beauty of gardens and flowers could not be discounted adding that gardens and flowers had a way of touching "our body, our soul and our minds".

She commended StratComm Africa for instituting the Ghana Garden and Flower show adding that the "fire which they have started must not be allowed to die".

Mr Ato Panford, Vice President-SMEs, Association of Ghana Industries, charged the Ghanaian business community to take advantage of the opportunities in the horticulture industry and not only produce for the local market but also for export.

He said the Government must ensure that there was an incentive framework to encourage local producers and discourage dependency on imports.

He said Kenya, for example, was making millions of dollars from the export of flowers to the European community.

Madam Esther Cobbah, Chief Executive Officer of StratComm Africa, said Ghanaians had the opportunity to break new grounds in the horticulture industry by investing more in the gardens and flowers and the related businesses.

She said Ghana had natural advantages in terms of climatic conditions for all year round cultivation of plants over Holland which is the second largest producer of flowers apart from the United States of America.

She said there was also growing indications of the values to be derived from flowers and gardens.

Madam Cobbah said there were three times as many exhibitors this year as compared to the first show last year, adding that the first garden and flower magazine was also launched at the fair.