The Flora Egypt 2011 exhibition, running from 12-15 January, is expected to receive 30,000 visitors and will be one of the biggest agricultural events in the field of cut flowers and ornamental plants. The exhibition is being held under the auspices of the Egyptian ministries of agriculture, trade, and environment, and includes among its co-organizers the Union of Producers and Exporters of Horticultural Crops (UPEC), the Egyptian Flower Council, and the Agricultural Export Council (AEC). One-hundred-and-sixty million of the most valuable and attractive flowers in the world will be showcased at the fair, such as tulips, carnations, orchids, kala irises and liliums. Participants will include the world's leading flower exporters such as the Netherlands, Kenya, and some South American countries. UPEC's chairman, Medhat al-Meligy, said the event represents the main gateway for Egyptian producers to European and Middle Eastern markets. Al-Meligy added that flower producers provide more than 4000 tonnes of flowers annually (650 million flowers), 400 million of which are produced by junior Egyptian farmers. Each ton of flowers, al-Meligy explained, secures 400 job opportunities, with each feddan of land producing yearly exports worth 25,600 euros. Al-Meligy added that the fair helps producers share expertise and meet with world experts. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
