Floriculture association aims to help mothers advance businesses

THE Central Floriculture Association is the first of its kind for mothers and the floriculture industry.
It held an open day on Monday at the National Museum and Arts Gallery in Port Moresby where it has been running market and display stalls for a month. It will continue for the rest of the year.
“The Museum is glad to support the association and to have given a space because we want to be partners with the community,” said the museum’s acting deputy director, corporate services, Steven Kilanda, who launched the open day.
Kilanda encouraged the mothers to use the association as a platform to advance their small business activities around floriculture, fresh garden produce and arts and crafts.
He also asked the mothers to take care of the area the museum has given them.
The association hosted mothers from Goilala, Kairuku, Koiari, Sogeri, Mount Brown, Kira Kira, Barakau, Rigo and Abau and Oro province.
“I’ve been in floriculture for four years and I noticed that Central women didn’t come out with their flowers,” said association president Veronica Lou, who helped set up the group with four other women.
“We have seen the potential that they don’t see, so we’ve decided to go out and give them that knowledge and empower them to wake up that sleeping giant as what we refer to flowers.”
The former head of the Tourism Promotion Authority, Mari Ellington, encouraged the association to venture into culture and tourism to make Central’s presence felt in those sectors.
“This is a great start and I encourage you to go forward and I am sorry for not doing anything for Central province,” Ellington said.
“You’ve got the beaches, the fish and the flowers; take the money out of the National Capital District by getting people to drive out to your villages.”