Ahmad Shabeery: Orchid export increases to RM13.2m last year

KOTA BARU: Orchid plants can bring lucrative returns to the country as the export of Malaysian orchids increased to RM13.2 million last year compared to RM11.9 million in 2015.
Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabeery Cheek said the relevant parties should come up with new types of orchids in order to compete with other flowers.
"The orchid is a gift from God which has been given to us (Malaysia). It grows well (with the Malaysian climate) but it needs some care and skills in maintenance.
"I hope orchids are not just hobby plants but can become an income-generating industry," he said.
He was speaking to reporters after launching the Orchid and Flora Festival 2017 at the Tunjong Urban Transformation Centre here tonight.
Also present were Chairman of the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) Tan Sri Badruddin Amiruldin and Chairman of the Kelantan State Agriculture, Agro-based Industry, Biotechnology and Green Technology Committee Datuk Che Abdullah Mat Nawi.
Commenting on the festival, Ahmad Shabeery said FAMA expects about 500,000 visitors to attend the 10-day event which began yesterday.
He said the festival saw the participation of 200 exhibitors and could see sales worth RM3 million like last year.
"Although the exhibitors could be faced with several challenges as the school holidays have ended, I am confident they are still able to record high sales as this is the biggest orchid festival in Kelantan," he said. — Bernama