By Dr Michelina Andreucci

WITH the rains upon us, wild flowers spring into life in the Zimbabwean veld yet, command floriculture is yet to be explored in this country.  

A discipline of horticulture, floriculture, also known as flower farming, is the cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for the floral industry, 

Shona names such as ‘Ruvarashe’, ‘Ruvaramambo’ and ‘Ruvaredu’, among others, all make reference to the flower. 

The importance of the flower in an indigenous cultural Shona context is expressed in such sayings as: “Ruva remoyo wangu,” (flower of my heart), a term of endearment meaning sweetheart.

Zimbabwe’s national flower is the Flame Lily or Gloriosa lily. The flower has numerous other names including ‘fire lily’, ‘glory lily’, ‘climbing lily’, ‘creeping lily’ and ‘superb lily’.  

It grows wild in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. 

The flower has a cup-like shape, with the tips and edges of its petals curling backwards. 

The colour ranges from bright yellow to dark red. 

Although it is sometimes used medicinally, the flower is considered poisonous if ingested. 

Flowers that are visually beautiful give a soothing and welcoming ambience and have always been part of African beauty and hospitality.

Currently, the global floral industry is a dynamic, fast-growing industry, which has achieved significant growth rates during the past few decades.  

It is today becoming one of the higher industries in many developing countries, especially those that are attempting to diversify their export base with a view to gaining new sources of income and reduce their exposure to price volatility in international markets. 

African countries are at the forefront of these nations, particularly because a handful of primary products often constitute over three-quarters of these countries’ total exports. Flower-growing is being targeted in many such countries with the objective of reducing this dependence. 

As an agricultural activity, it has the attraction of being a natural adjunct to the more traditional exports, while the availability of ready markets in the developed countries is a powerful financial draw. 

As an industry, floriculture began in Britain in the late 19th Century, where flowers were grown on a large scale.  

The administrative facilities for flower farming in Zimbabwe have been in place since the establishment of farmlands. 

The global flower trade was less than US$3 billion in the 1950s, growing US$100 billion by 1994. 

In recent years, the annual growth rate in the floral industry is said to have been six percent, with the global trade volume standing at US$101, 84 billion in 2003.

The Zimbabwean floriculture industry was a fast growing and highly export-oriented sector of the economy, with close to 100 percent of commercially grown flowers being exported to foreign markets. 

During the early 1990s, Zimbabwe flower growers and farmers were actively engaged in the cultivation of flowers for export while employing approximately eight percent of the total workforce on commercial farms. 

Between 1990 and 1997, the US dollar value of cut-flower exports increased by an average 87 percent per year.  

By 1998, cut-flower production was second only to tobacco.

Zimbabwe became the second largest exporter of cut-flowers in Africa, after Kenya, and the third largest in the world. 

Currently, Kenya is the largest exporter in Africa, supplying a large percentage of Europe’s flowers. 

According to a report from the International Trade Centre (ITC), export of fresh cut flowers earned Zimbabwe US$11 million in 2013.  

In 2015, flower exports earned only US$3,2 million; decreasing since 2002’s US$60 million by 95 percent. 

In 1995, Zimbabwe was the third largest supplier of roses to the EU.  

Roses constituted approximately 70 percent of Zimbabwe’s flower exports, with up to 350 hectares under rose production producing approximately 18 000-20 000 tonnes, mostly exported to Europe. 

According to the Horticultural Promotion Council (HPC), the Zimbabwean horticultural export 

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industry was the second largest agricultural foreign currency earner after tobacco, and accounted for up to 4,5 percent of the GDP.  

About 70 percent of the country’s floriculture production were exported.  

The principal markets were the Netherlands – the main flower market (86 percent) and SA (6,9 percent) with the balance going to Australia, the Far East, Germany, UK and the US.

The Netherlands is the centre of production for the European floral market, as well as a major international supplier to other continents.

Zimbabwean producers had to meet high international standards regarding both the quality of the flowers and the methods used to produce them. 

International labelling programmes governing waste management, occupational safety and employment conditions created a ‘market incentive’ for farmers to meet environmental and ethical guidelines in their cut-flower production. 

Meeting these requirements has required higher worker training, which has in turn promoted greater job security and better working conditions for some workers.

The success of the floriculture sector in Zimbabwe was based on a free market situation requiring considerable entrepreneurial flair from producers.  

In addition, they had to meet the difficult challenges of growing export flowers that met the needs of the market; coupled with the consumers’ growing sensitivity to the environment-friendly technicalities of planting, growing, packing and delivery, under the auspices of the Export Flower Growers Association of Zimbabwe (EFGAZ), formed in 1995.

The Association provided training, bankrolled by fees levied on all producers, on the best ways to grow roses and summer flowers in order to protect the high standards required to retain the export market by operating through the international standards transmitted by labelling programmes to its 306 registered member growers, as well as provided information on the latest floriculture trends.

International labelling programmes encourage farmers to meet environmental and ethical guidelines for cut-flower production.

Following improvements in planting and harvesting methods of proteaceae in the early 1990s, the export of proteas also significantly boosted export returns for Zimbabwe.

As in many other countries worldwide, the workforce in floriculture in Zimbabwe was mostly women, often wives of permanent male employees on the farm; leading to an increasing number of permanent female employees; resulting in job security for women and increasing the number of two-income families living on flower-producing farms, thus raising the standard of living for farmworkers’ families.

For Zimbabwe, and most of Southern Africa, the anticipated oncoming rains will be welcomed, making everything burgeon green and fresh – a promise of a good harvest.  

Command floriculture could brighten up Zimbabwe’s horticultural prospects locally, regionally and internationally, providing the much-needed employment and an alternative source of agro-wealth.

Now is the time to act!  

Dr Michelina Andreucci is a Zimbabwean-Italian researcher, industrial design consultant lecturer. She is a published author in her field. 

For views and comments, email: linamanucci@gmail.com