Turning flowers into money is a great initiative especially if it will economically empower women and people with disabilities.

There is a large population in Samoa who have access to land but the bounty that could be generated from it is not being is not being realised.

On Thursday, the Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access (PHAMA) Plus in partnership with the FAMA-OMONEA Society launched their new exotic variety of orchids and other ornamentals at Fa'aitoia.

The aim of this six-month project is to empower women by accessing available and sufficient planting materials of exotic and unique varieties of ornamentals from overseas to breed, propagate, market export and generate income.

It is indeed a good initiative that will provide an avenue for some people but does it really help the masses?

The women involved in the flower business are doing good but they are just a handful. Will a woman in the rural area of Samoa be able to tap into this market? What provisions are there to ensure that this project goes to the grassroots and not just a selected few who can afford the raw materials?

While there is benefit to a few, to think that this will become the next big thing in agriculture is a mistake, just like other ideas that have been mooted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to make most of the sector in Samoa.

Once again, we have to rely on the importation of raw materials. Samoa is a beautiful volcanic island with fertile soil and has so many varieties of local flora which will not impact on the import bill. Samoa’s import bill keeps on increasing every year yet we keep on coming with initiatives that tend to increase the import bill rather than decrease it.

The point is taken that the dent in the import bill by importing exotic flowers will not be much but this defeats the whole purpose of relying on locally produced items.

Despite the available land and capability, there is a very heavy reliance on imports. How about promoting local flora which can be easily grown and uses the true identity of Samoa in ornamental flower decorations.

According to Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, La'auli Leuatea Schmidt, the Ministry supports the initiative to import exotic ornamentals of orchids, to improve access and increase the range and quantity of plants available for women to generate income.

Does this mean that the Ministry will make these exotic ornamental orchids available to everyone who has an interest in getting into this industry? Will the Ministry also support other raw materials such as fertilisers, money for green houses so the plants can be kept away from insects and diseases?

And will these imports also open a door for new types of pests and plant diseases to come into the country?

There are more questions than answers with this initiative. Samoa needs to get realistic when it comes to agriculture. The Ministry should be looking at backing and growing products which already have provision for exports.

Coconut, taro, taro leaves, cocoa,  pineapple, ava and fish are products that could change agriculture for the better . Our neighbours American Samoa are benefitting massively from a cannery and there should be more than just thought given to processing fish in the country. Initiatives should be given to investors wanting to operate local fisheries fleets.

In March this year, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, La'auli Leuatea Schmidt said Samoa is looking to export livestock which includes beef to American Samoa.

What is wrong with that statement and is this a realistic goal? First, Samoa needs to produce enough beef to satisfy the local market. We are still importing most of the meat we consume. Apart from the supermarkets, how many stand-alone butcher shops are there?

The Agriculture Sector Plan was released early this year and it is a five-year plan, apart from the special loans from the banks and relaxation of import law on farm machinery, what significant changes have been brought about?

Can we honestly say that the markets in Samoa store all the variety of vegetables that can be produced locally? Last year a picture of lettuce being sold at a local supermarket went viral. The vegetable was priced at more than a hundred tala.

The Onomea group is doing marvelous work and they are showing that people can make a living through flowers. One of the women in the group has been in the orchid business for five decades and according to her, the business is challenging because of the freight and associated costs.

Will these be removed or subsidised by the Government to ensure that the majority pick this up and start to earn a living through this?

Agriculture is a very vital and important industry and it cannot be emphasised enough how important food security will become in the future.

Samoa needs to get realistic about its agricultural goals and not ideas which a decade down the line will be just words or wasted resources.