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Business

From the backwoods: foliage for export
By Naomi Gunasekara in Kurunegala
Work seemed to move at a slow pace with the girls cracking a joke or two on what seemed a lazy Monday morning for Décor Foliage. Piles of fresh leaves lay in front of them, ready to be cut, cleaned and packed. Oblivious to the work before them, they giggled and laughed, reluctantly cutting a branch or two. "Most of the girls were given leave today because they worked round the clock for Mother's Day. They will take things easy for a while," said Gamini Rathnasiri, proprietor of Décor Foliage explaining the relaxed atmosphere as he entered the packing area that faced vast fields of paddy.

Horticulture venture
Décor Foliage is a horticulture venture approved by the Export Development Board of Sri Lanka, which grows and exports cut foliage to over 15 destinations. Established about four years ago, it has come a long way to place itself among the top 10 foliage STM 2002.05.19 exporters in the country.

Dressed in an apple-green shirt, chocolate-brown trousers and matching sandals, Rathnasiri told a couple of girls to bundle Song of India, an exotic plant with a mixture of green and yellow in its leaves to be sent to the airport by evening. A man of few words, Rathnasiri has won a silver award in the agricultural sector at the Wayamba Vijayabhimani Awards Ceremony in 1999 followed by a bronze in the agriculture sector at the National Entrepreneur of the Year Awards held in 2000.
He has been part of trade delegations to China, Holland, France and the Middle East and improved business knowledge through these tours. "Quality of the product is what is most important and we export our foliage within 24 hours to keep them fresh," said Rathnasiri revealing the secret behind his success.

Export market
The foliage export business is getting tough for Rathnasiri with a number of countries entering the export market, he said while directing a girl to bundle a different variety of foliage. Dressed in a cheeththe wrapped around her waist, she promptly emerged from a room full of plastic buckets, basins and barrels containing colourful leaves and joined the others in the cutting process, having placed the foliage on a table close to Rathnasiri's back garden full of vegetables, tamarind and wood-apple trees.
"India, Bangladesh and Malaysia entered the market recently and their prices are comparatively low because they have cheap labour. When their foliage reaches the market at low prices importers ask us to reduce prices," said Rathnasiri explaining the plight of the local exporter. "Our quality is better than theirs. But they have already consulted experts from Holland and this will pose severe threats to traditional exporters."

Options
However, Rathnasiri is not ready to give up. Despite the company's main line of business being the export of fresh foliage, Rathnasiri has exported dried leaves on a number of occasions to look at the options available for him in a highly competitive market. "We even tried jack leaves but it did not work out because the gum on it is a hindrance to foreigners," said Rathnasiri. He plans to explore the opportunities available for those exporting dry foliage further.

In the meantime, Décor Foliage continues to export nearly 5,000 kilogrammes of foliage per week and is swamped with foliage through a strong network of 55 growers who grow the most demanded varieties of foliage. "We export everything that has a demand, including foliage like coconut leaves and habarala that are found in abundance," he said.

Of the varieties exported, cane palms have the biggest demand according to Rathnasiri. In addition, varieties like Miseanthus Sianansis, Aglonema, Croton Acubifolia, Croton Pictum, Livistonia Rotandifolia, Cane Palm, Raphis Palm, Licula Palm, Cordyline and Pleomale Reflexa Green too maintain a steady demand throughout the year.

"We supply part of the raw material used for cut-flower decorations. Although we send the foliage in bundles they are removed by the buyers and used to suit their purposes," said Rathnasiri, whose foliage decorates homes, hotels and firms in 15 countries like Holland, Germany, Italy, France, Kuwait, Dubai and Saudi Arabia. "The foliage is cut and bundled to meet the buyer's requirements. The length varies according to the buyer but remains between 60-70 centimetres," he said, pointing out that some buyers prefer mixed bundles with five to six branches from different foliage varieties while others prefer bundles of the same variety.

Demand
Mother's Day and Valentine's Day inundate Décor Foliage with export orders. "We have been preparing from last month to meet the demand for Mother's Day because it has no end. It has become a very difficult and trying period." But Rathnasiri hardly faces a shortage of foliage because he maintains a 15-acre nursery off Ibbagamuwa to meet the market demand. "It is still being done. But we have everything needed by our buyers from palms like cane, fan and queen palm to Song of Jamaica and India."

The next big demand for cut foliage comes during the Christmas and New Year season according to Rathnasiri. Until then Décor Foliage exports foliage in small quantities to regular importers. Most of the foliage exported being common plants in Sri Lanka they do not have a demand in the local market. "Foreign buyers like our plants because they are colourful and exotic," said Rathnasiri who followed his dream of becoming a floriculturist despite protests from his family.

"I used to have my own orchid bed when I was very young and enjoyed working on it tremendously. My relatives and friends laughed at me for taking an interest in a hobby meant for girls." Having passed his A/Ls Rathnasiri had followed a course in floriculture at the Kurunegala Technical College and worked at the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens. Later he joined a Swiss company engaged in the exportation of cut foliage.

"My fondness for foliage secured my future and brought me success," says Rathnasiri who plans to preserve most of the kohomba, coconut, mango, plantain and tamarind trees in his plant nursery when doing its landscaping.
"I started the business in 1998 and did a successful test shipment to Japan in 1995 before starting regular business in 1998," recalled Rathnasiri who had taken a couple of foliage varieties in a cardboard box to be presented to a Japanese importer at the Hilton. Suppliers had been called by institution names at the selection. Since Rathnasiri's company did not have a name, he had decided on Décor Foliage on the spur of the moment as the business involved exportation of foliage for decoration purposes.

On receiving his first export order from the Japanese buyer and exporting 40-50 boxes of foliage, Rathnasiri entered the foliage export market. Ironically, though, Rathnasiri does not export foliage to Japan anymore, as their export regulations are rigid. "They expect an excellent standard and even if they spot a mere ant they reject the whole load. We did a shipment to Japan recently and the girls faced serious eye problems after focusing too much on the plants."

Looking back, Rathnasiri, who ventured into the foliage business with a capital of Rs. 5, 000 is happy with the turn of events and the decision he made in his youth to study floriculture. "I thought it best to study something different. So I enrolled at the Technical College despite protests and ridicule from family members. I knew a lot about the field and the opportunities available once I qualified. I was determined to make the best of the knowledge I had acquired."

Today he has developed the business to 40% of its potential and hopes to reach the maximum target possible. "I know it is a long way to go being a small-scale entrepreneur but I am determined to reach the top," said Rathnasiri who is constantly backed by his family and the Wayamba Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Content with what he has acquired within a very short period of time Rathnasiri hopes to export cut flowers and landscaping and window plants soon.

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