The Ethiopian horticulture sector is one of the youngest sectors blooming over the past 15 years attracting more and more foreign investors.

The sector has been one of the top contributors of export commodities that are enabling the country earn millions of dollars over the course of the past decade.

The export earnings generated shows a significant increase in the year 2011 E.C compared with the fiscal end year 2010 E.C. It has been able to generate 315.14 million dollars in 2011 E.C from the exports of horticulture. This includes 256.62 million USD from only floriculture export and 58.52 million USD from vegetables and fruits. The sector export grew by 12.84% compared to last year’s performance. Exporters of the sector expanded their destination globally mainly to Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, UK, USA, Norway, Belgium, Germany, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Djibouti.

As the sector has been growing fast, creating ample opportunities for interested foreign and local companies, the number of investors who are operating in the horticulture production and export businesses increased within this short period of time.

Ethiopia is endowed with enormous blessings of nature to grow horticulture and floriculture products in many of regional states. The weather, the huge untapped suitable land, the enormous amount of surface and ground water it embraces, availability of labor makes the country favourable by huge and renowned international investors to invest in.

Generally in the course of the past 15 years the horticulture and floriculture sector in Ethiopia has been growing substantially forcing the government to closely work with actors of the sector as it becomes one of the key sources of foreign currency earnings.