Trade helps new industries bloom
Related pages: Trade Matters
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outside the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa is a former dairy farm which used to provide work for fifty people. Then someone realised that – with a bit
of investment – the high altitude and warm weather would be ideal for
cultivating roses. Today the farm is home to a series of vast, fabric-covered hothouses where
hundreds of thousands of roses bloom.
Computer-linked sensors operate roof awnings and sprinklers creating a
controlled growing environment. Some roses are sold direct to wholesalers, others via giant Dutch flower auctions, eventually
turning up in vases all over Europe.
“This has made a big difference to our lives,” says 24 year old supervisor
Meseret Mekalese. “Before, we were just sitting around with no job and nothing to do. But now we are learning and helping
ourselves and our families.”
Five hundred and fifty trained staff, paid above local rates, receive meals and
healthcare advice and in turn they help other family members go to school and college.
This kind of story is repeated across the world, as developing countries discover how trade drives economic growth and job creation. More
income means more tax revenues, which governments can invest in education, which means more people have opportunities
to find jobs and they themselves produce more and so on.
This case study is part of Trade Matters
Other links to stories about the Ethiopian flower industry
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Magazine: A good year for the roses