Agricom.id, BOGOR - Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo (SYL) proposed to increase the agricultural exports through Gerakan Tiga Kali Ekspor (Gratieks), including decorative plants. The production until the second quarter of 2020, based on Central Bureau of Statistic (CBS) Indonesian Republic, reached 342.422.645 pieces. The export volume reached 4.176.294 kg or equal to US$ 12.176.244. The big numbers of decorative plant exports showed that this business is widely open.

General Director of Horticulture, Ministry of Agriculture, Prihasto Setyanto told that his side has done many things to support Gratieks, by doing GEDOR Horti (Gerakan Dorong Produksi, Daya Saing dan Ramah Lingkungan Hortikultura).

The people’s economy in Covid-19 pandemic mostly gets decreasing but it does not happen to those who run decorative plants. The people tend to do many things from home both learning and work from home (WFH). It makes new activity to farming.

The unique is that the demands on decorative plants for Wartono, the farmer and businessman from Ciapus, Bogor got lots from two sides, such as, the sellers and buyers.

“The trend and demands are much more than those before pandemic. If the demands were from the traders, now every level and groups demand it. The demands got more and more. It hardly reached five to ten times more,” Wartono, the owner of Gress Nursery in Ciapus, Bogor said, as in the official statement to Agricom.id.

But the demands are not the same with the stocks. He thought that the stocks he has could not fulfill the demands. He also said that there are few farmers of decorative plants. The local flowers are in small numbers too.

“There are many demands but not the farmers. This is the issue because we are lack of the local products. We ourselves develop our products but sometimes we have to get from our other associates,” he said.

The man who was born in Sunda focuses to develop Aglaonema. But he does not focus to one plant because he has kinds of philodendron, taro, and others. The selling also penetrates the exports.

The overturn per month reached one billion rupiah and it is possible to get.

“During the pandemic, the average income reaches Rp 750 million to Rp 1 billion,” he said.

Chairman of Pecinta Tanaman Hias Bogor, Gunawan is optimist that the decorative plants in the pandemic would get better and this is good news for those who sell decorative plants.

“During Covid-19, the demands would always be increasing because many love to plant. As long as hobby to plant, the decorative plants would be full of demands,” he proudly said.

He also mentioned that the decorative plant farmers in Ciapus get used to export. The common production are about to export to Europe, America, China, Hong Kong, and Australia.

Tips to do Aglaonema business for the beginner

Wartono also shared tips to develop Aglaonema business. For a seller and producer at once, he sold kinds of Aglaonema starting from Rp 35 thousand to Rp 1 million for the young shape. This is normal. But not only that, he also showed one of his collection, the Golden Hope which he would sell up to Rp 20 million.

“We have to be patient and persistent because it is not easy to grow Aglaonema. We sometimes are not patient to get money fast because many people are used to do that. The plants are not printed. We have to be patient to wait for it to get new branches and should nurse well. Aglaonema is more difficult from other plants to nurse. If other could be faster to get money from the tissue method, we do by cutting only.

He also told that he learned by himself when developing Aglaonema. He has hobby and been comfortable to do the business.

“If I may suggest, I learn from Trubus volume 6 (six). In the beginning I learned it by myself. I did not what it was. I was gardener here. Then I needed to do others besides taking care of the villa. So I cultivate the garden. The point is that I wanted to do something but I did not know what it was. Then I found what comforts me. Starting from the hobby at first, I did not want to do business. It was the beginning,” he said.

He also told that taking care of the plantation as hobby comforts him and he did not expect that the business gets more profits. In the previous, he once tried to do other business, such as, breeding fish, and others. But the profits come from the plant. He now has about 3000m2. Who knows that the billionaire started his business from 2x3m2 area. (A2)