Addis Ababa (October 13, 2009) – Sai Ramakrishna Karuturi , Managing Director of Karuturi Global of India vowed to make Ethiopia the leading cut flower exporting country in the world.
In an exclusive interview with ENA on Monday, Company Managing Director, Sia Ramakriskna Karuturi said his company, which is engaged in flower farm development on 50 hectares, has planed to expand on 50 more hectares beginning until December.
The Director said the company would cover fully the 435 hectares of land it took in Wolliso Town with flower farm by 2011.
The director said when the Wolliso o flower farm is fully developed by 2011; it will make Ethiopia the leading cut flower exporter in the world.
The director said currently 125, 000 cut flowers are produced from Holeta and Woliso farms per day. The volume of export will be increased from time to time.
The company has begun exporting cut flowers from Ethiopia to the Middle East, Holland and Russia since 2006.
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Ramakriskna said the Company has also palm tree, sugarcane and rice farms in Etang, Gambella State covering 300,000 hectares, and 11,000 corn and vegetable farms in Bako, Oromia State, he said.
The director said the Gambella project in which 350 million USD is invested would develop cereals, oilseeds, palm oil, sugar and rice on 100,000 hectares of land in the coming three years.
He said the rice and maize production would be used for consumption in domestic and COMESA region.
The company has shelled out 490 million USD on all farms launched in Ethiopia.
The company has created jobs for 3000 people in all project areas so far.
Ramakrishna said the Ethiopian government officials are very supportive for what his company is doing.
The company is operating in Kenya, Dubai, Holland and India in the areas of floriculture, agro-based products, food processing, IT and others.
Source: ENA
