By Ebele Orapko
In the past, horticulture which is the science/art of cultivating fruits, vegetables, flowers, or ornamental plants, was generally seen as an activity undertaken for pleasure/relaxation, usually done during one’s leisure time but today, that perception has changed.

Elizabeth Omoayena

Horticulture in Nigeria in recent times, has become a big business employing hundreds of people, both skilled and unskilled. In  New Zealand for instance, horticultural exports are worth over $2.2 billion while Kenya rakes in about Sh3 trillion from its flower farms.

In a chat with Vanguard in Jos recently, Mrs. Elizabeth Omoayena, the Managing Director of All-Green Plant Garden/Nursery, a subsidiary of All-Green Agro-Ventures Nigeria Limited said that with government’s support, the horticultural sector could boost the nation’s revenue tremendously.
Excerpts:

According to Mrs Elizabeth Omoayena: “I have been into this business for more than 20 years. It started like a hobby in my house. We were planting carpet grass and others plants around the house, budding oranges, apples, roses, grafting mangoes etc. because that is actually my husband’s profession so I would say he introduced me to the business.

One day, a lady came to the house from Lafia and discovered we had carpet grass and she started buying from us and that was how the idea of selling came. We started with carpet grass and then moved into growing other plants and from there, we decided to get a larger space.

Continuing she said: “When we came here, the whole place was empty and overgrown with grasses and people were laughing at us. We heard comments like: “What are you people doing in this bush? Oh, you are growing grasses. Who will buy grasses from you?” But today, it is a different story. The place has been transformed into a very beautiful place and others have joined us.

“We did not set aside a particular sum of money for the business. It was a gradual process. We got people to do the clearing, cutting down trees and other things and then we started acquiring plants. Whenever we travelled, we got one or two plants. We call those ones mother stock. We bring one or two of each plant, plant them in the soil or in pots. We don’t sell those ones. We propagate from them. We go round town, pick one or two plants, plant them and that was how the whole thing started and continued up till this level,” she stated. “

Mrs Omoayena noted that the major challenge facing the outfit is lack of water. “Water is not sufficient and it is very important. We have been crying about that and we are still crying. Now the plants are looking beautiful because of the rains but once it is dry season, it becomes a huge problem. We have wells but they can’t give us enough water to wet the plants. I have a well and a pumping machine to pump water and sometimes I pump up to four times a day.

The well will dry up, and we will wait again for it to come up and everyday, we pump water, but then, it is simply not enough. We don’t get water from the utility company. Initially, they used to supply us water and we pay but along the line, we stopped getting supplies. Again, this land belongs to the Federal Government and the issue is that whenever they are ready to use it, they will tell us to vacate and that will affect us.”

The horticulturist said that people come from far and near to buy blooms from Jos “and the government keeps telling us to grow roses, how do we grow roses when we cannot even get ordinary water?” she asked, appealing to both state and federal governments to come to their aid.

“If the Federal Government really wants to assist us, they should give us land to buy, give us water, and then assist us with roses to plant, you know, some particular varieties that are hot cakes in the market.

“The Federal Government used to make high quality polythene bags. If they can make those bags available to us, we will buy and that will also assist because we don’t get good quality bags to buy.

When we get to the market, what we see are the bigger bags which we cut on our own and they are so light We spend huge sums of money on bags alone and they don’t last. You keep changing bags and that adds to cost and people don’t understand that what you put in is much,” she said.

Speaking on the company’s annual turnover, the horticulturist who noted that she does the budding and grafting of her plants by herself, said: “I cannot really put a figure to it because as the money comes, it goes back into the business.

We keep buying sand ( top soil), manure, bags etc., so sometimes it is difficult to quantify. You wouldn’t know exactly how much you have spent to now know how much you have gained in a year. It is difficult so we don’t weigh them that way. We just keep the business going. That is what matters to us, to ensure the garden looks good always.”

She noted that prices of her products vary depending on the plant and size, saying that the cheapest plant goes for N20.00. “There is this particular plant called araucaria (or Monkey-Puzzle) which goes for between N6,000 and N20,000 depending on the size. The bigger, the more expensive.

Mrs. Omoayena strongly believes that Nigeria can join the league of nations making billions of dollars annually from the horticultural sector if the government can help the sector. “Let government give us water, land, quality polythene bags, etc and leave the rest to us,” she said.