The tenth International HortiFlora Expo will take place in Addis Ababa from March 24 to 26, according to the Ethiopian Horticulture Producers and Exporters Association. The event is jointly organised by EHPEA and HPP Worldwide and is expected to bring together more than 150 exhibitors from over 50 countries.
Horticulture is Ethiopia's second-largest foreign exchange earner after coffee within the agricultural sector, generating US$564.89 million in export revenue during the previous budget year. Flowers account for around 80 per cent of these earnings, while fruit, vegetable, herb, and hybrid seed exports are expected to expand following recent policy and regulatory changes.
The expo will include B2B, B2C, and B2G meetings, as well as forums on topics such as consumer trends, food safety, sea freight, artificial intelligence, sustainability, and market developments in fruit and vegetables.
Tewodros Zewdie, executive director of EHPEA, said Ethiopia is targeting growth in the Chinese market through the zero-tariff policy granted to 53 African countries. "The Chinese market provides hundreds of millions of potential buyers for products that are going from Africa, and it was one of the critical players in the horticulture industry, so it will help us expand our market destinations and unlock the full potential of Ethiopia to benefit from the Chinese market," he said.
He added that the policy could also support export diversification in response to changes in trade conditions with the United States.
HortiFlora Expo has contributed to the development of Ethiopia's flower sector, which ranks among the largest exporters globally. The current edition coincides with the launch of a 15-year National Avocado Development Program and a 10-year National Horticulture Strategy, both aimed at increasing export revenue and supporting agro-industrial development.
"This year's HortiFlora Expo is going to be a unique experience as it will converge a multitude of local and international value and supply chain actors of horticulture at the expo," Zewdie said.
Source: APA News
