Business venture in full bloom

THROUGH perseverance, hard work and self discipline, a 37-year-old housewife has become a thriving flower farmer in Lae.
Mrs Anna Kinjul from Pangia, Southern Highlands, is a mother of five and a floriculture enthusiast who has turned her passion into a small business venture.
Nestled in Busanim at 12-Mile outside of Lae, Mrs Kinjul’s backyard is now a blossoming mini flower farm.
Her two hectares of terrain around her home where vanilla once grew has been converted into a flower haven, filled with flowering plants, foliage and bedding plants.
Previously, she planted flowers as a hobby and for patio use.
It was not until 2007 that she said she met a relative who introduced her to flower farming or floriculture and its economic potential.
“It was not easy because I had to start collecting flowers that were commercially viable in the flower market.
“I also had to look for markets and establish my clientele base.”
Today Mrs Kinjul has not looked back as her flower farm has been financially rewarding.
Mrs Kinjul is able to sell seeds, pot plants, and fresh flower cuttings to offices and hotels.
She also provides flower arrangements for weddings, graduations and other special events.
What she earns from the sale of her flowers has enabled her to become financially independent, supplementing her husband’s income as a delivery driver to pay for her children’s school fees and other daily needs.
“Being self sufficient is one of the key factors in the eradication of poverty.
“My plan is to eventually become fully established and to one day export to the overseas market,” she said.