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The ornamental plants sector covers a much larger and more important area than most people think. Although for many of us, ornamental plants seem to be just colourful flowers sold in florists, it is actually a huge sector that creates the green texture of cities and shapes landscape design. It includes a wide range of products from the trees we see on the roadsides to shrub groups in parks, from seasonal flowers to natural flower bulbs. In addition, its economic size and the share of ornamental plants in exports are also increasing.
So, what is the position of the ornamental plants sector in Türkiye? What kind of opportunities does it harbour for the future? What are the challenges faced by the sector?
We talked to Miray Engin, Secretary General of the Ornamental Plants Producers Sub-Union (SÜSBİR) and Landscape Architect.
When it comes to ornamental plants, everyone thinks of flowers sold in florists. But I think the sector is much bigger than that, isn’t it?
It certainly is! Most people only think of cut flowers such as roses, carnations or daisies when they think of ornamental plants, but in fact the sector covers a much wider area than that. All the trees, shrub groups, seasonal flowers, even natural flower bulbs that you see on roadsides, parks, gardens, large landscape projects are in this sector. In other words, all the green areas we see in our cities actually exist thanks to the ornamental plants sector.
BASE PLANTS ARE A PART OF AGRICULTURE…
Are ornamental plants considered as part of agriculture like wheat or vegetables?
Yes, ornamental plants are also in the category of plant production and are completely within agriculture. We operate under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and our producers are farmers. In fact, soil and production are our foundation. The whole process continues in a controlled manner starting from the seed, as in other agricultural production branches.
ECONOMIC SIZE OF THE SECTOR…
What is the economic size of the ornamental plants sector in Türkiye?
We are currently producing on 58,000 decares of land across the country and we directly employ 100,000 people in this field. The annual production volume of our sector is around 30 billion TL. However, when we add the subsidiary sectors, our total economic size reaches up to 100 billion TL. Moreover, this is not only for the domestic market, but also an economy that is strengthened by exports.
Well, since you said so, how are Türkiye’s export figures in the ornamental plants sector? Which countries do we sell to?
Türkiye has a growing position in the export of ornamental plants every year. Since 2018, we have become a net exporter sector and our exports are increasing every year. As of 2024, we reached a total export volume of 117 million dollars and an export surplus of 50 million dollars. We export mainly to European countries, Turkic republics such as Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Middle Eastern countries such as Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
OPPORTUNITIES IN NEW MARKETS…
What are the new market opportunities for the ornamental plants sector?
There certainly are! Especially the ‘Green Middle East’ project initiated by Saudi Arabia is a great opportunity for us. We are talking about a project that aims to plant 50 billion trees. In addition, there are big investments in green areas in countries such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. We follow these markets more closely and try to open our producers to these markets by organising trade delegations.
IMPACT OF GREEN TRANSFORMATION ON THE SECTOR…
The concepts of green economy and sustainability are being talked about more and more. What impact did this process have on the ornamental plants sector?
Green transformation has become a necessity all over the world. Green areas are of great importance to reduce carbon emissions and ensure environmental sustainability. Even in industrial zones, landscaping is required to reduce carbon emissions. Türkiye is also taking important steps in this direction. As the ornamental plants sector, we play a key role in increasing and protecting green areas.
PRODUCERS… AND SUPPORTS….
In which areas do ornamental plant producers face the most difficulties?
One of the biggest challenges of this business is that it requires a long-term investment. It can sometimes take 10-15 years to plant a tree and make it ready for the market. In addition, production costs are quite high. The sector carries a serious financial burden due to special growing environments, peat, seedling and maintenance costs. In addition, the ornamental plants sector is not sufficiently included in agricultural supports. Currently, we cannot benefit from area-based supports and this is a big deficiency. A product-based support model is essential.
BAN ON EXPORT OF FRUIT AND OLIVE TREES LIFTED…
The ornamental plants sector suffered a great loss because it could not export its fruit and olive trees. Is there any development on this issue?
Yes, this was indeed a big problem. Especially fruit and olive trees used as ornamental plants could not be included in exports. Therefore, since we could not export 10-15 items on the project lists, sometimes all order lists were cancelled. We think that this caused an annual loss of approximately 50 million dollars to the sector. However, with the support of our ministry, this ban was lifted. We can now export these trees as ornamental plants, which is a great gain for our sector.
SÜSBİR PORTAL…
What kind of benefit does the portal developed by SÜSBİR during the digital transformation process provide?
Established in 2017, the SÜSBİR Portal is a platform that brings producers and buyers together. Buyers, such as municipalities and landscape architects, can see where and which plants are produced in Turkey and contact producers directly. This provides greater market access for producers all over Turkey. We are also planning to open this portal for exporters.
THE FUTURE OF THE SECTOR…
What kind of a path will the ornamental plants sector follow in the coming years?
Our sector continues to grow rapidly. Ornamental plants are no longer only seen as an aesthetic element, but also as a part of environmental sustainability and reducing carbon emissions. Increasing green areas has become an important factor in combating climate change. As a sector, we are aware of this and we will continue to grow with bigger projects in the future…
By Umut Özdil,
Agriculture Writer – TV Presenter
Source: www.webagron.com
