Flower business blooms in the city
Flower business blooms in the city
Time and distance will become less important constraints in
communication among people with advanced technology. But those in
the growing flower and plant business know that flowers remain
among the simplest way to express what words cannot. The Jakarta
Post reporters Devi M. Asmarani, IGGP Bayu Ismoyo, Imanuddin,
Kosasih Deradjat, Primastuti Handayani, Riyadi and Sri Wahyuni,
look at this promising business and what still has to be done.
Related stories are on Page 8, page 9 and Page 13
JAKARTA (JP): A bunch of flowers saves the day when you
suddenly have to visit a sick friend, or have given up trying to
find the perfect birthday gift for your mother.
The need for a million heartfelt messages is the core of the
flower business. They are ideal for personal and business
relationships.
But not many people are willing to try to grow their own
flowers. Rather, they are happy to rely on experts in growing and
arranging plants.
Many businesses -- big and small -- developed out of a hobby
or need and many aspects of the business needs improving.
An advisor to the Indonesian Flowers Association, Ismeth D.
Asbindo, said flower product sales in Indonesia were worth Rp
57.5 billion (US$23.6 million) last year.
Demand for flowers is increasing by 25 percent a year and
sales could be worth Rp 428 billion a year by 2005.
Export sales are still well below local sales and expected to
be worth $714 million by 2005.
This is not much considering the flower export market is
expected to be worth $120 billion that year.
Ismeth said Indonesia could export more flowers by changing
the type of flowers it grew and exported to meet international
demand.
Internationally, 55 percent of demand is for general flowers,
5 percent is for orchids and 40 percent is for decorative plants.
Domestically, decorative plants make up 60 percent of demand,
orchids 25 percent and general flowers 15 percent.
One problem is that most seedlings are imported and the
country's inefficient transportation system holds up
distribution.
High taxes
High taxes on the flower industry seem to reflect a lack of
government support.
But these constraints have not deterred people with floral
arranging talents or a nose for business. A few owners said they
started small and accidentally developed their businesses from a
hobby.
The owner of flower company PT Inkarla, Iin Hasim, and the
owner of a florist in Kebayoran Lama, Mauritius L. Budi, are
examples of this.
Mrs. Hasim now has her own column in the agriculture magazine
Trubus called Iin Hasim Menjawab (Iin Hasim Answers).
Budi, the art director of his company Maurist Florist, said
"you have to be creative as well, because what you sell is more
than just flowers."
With such conviction, the expanding business of selling
artificial flowers and plants does not worry him.
"They are not competitors, we have different markets," he
said.
Cooperatives
The promising flower market has also attracted cooperatives.
One is the Cooperative of Indonesian Beautiful Orchid Garden,
which groups several orchid groomers in the Harapan Kita
hospital's compound.
The cooperatives' chairman, Suharto, said growing and selling
orchids was a promising business.
Salim Group subsidiary PT Puspa Persada Anggrek Indonesia
exports some of the cooperatives orchids.
The cooperative also set up a research and development center,
supported by a seedling site, green house, training and education
facilities and a laboratory.
About 200 flower sellers gather at the market every morning
from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m.
Roses, jasmine, gladiola, golden showers and marigolds are
among the many flowers for sale.
Most of the flowers are from West Java, but some, like jasmine
and sedap malam, come from Tegal and Ambarawa in Central and East
Java.
Flower prices vary in accordance with demand.
"Before holidays like Christmas or Idul Fitri, the prices can
increase threefold," said Sony, an orchid seller.
Another orchid seller, Muhidin, said his orchids were not only
sold at the market but also exported.
The cooperative, in cooperation with Taman Mini Indonesia
Indah, also makes money from tourists visiting its site, display
hall and orchid information center.
These are among the efforts to attract more people to
appreciate and love Indonesia's rich variety of plants and
flowers.
Mrs. Hasim has set aside two hectares of her four-hectare
nursery in Cibodas, West Java, for agrotourism.
Her Rp 20,000-a-person package, for groups of at least 30
people on weekdays and at least 70 people on weekends, includes
lunch and a short course on her collection.
Another good tourist spot is Taman Bunga Nusantara. This
flower garden is in Kawung Luwuk, Cipanas, West Java, about 90
kilometers south of Jakarta.
The park was an initiative of the late First Lady, Tien
Soeharto, and opened in September 1995.
It boasts over 1,000 types of flowers and hundreds of people
go there every weekend. (team)