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ocal farmers have been encouraged to cultivate orchids, which are abundant in Indonesia, in order to cater to domestic demand.

Intensified orchid cultivation would reduce Indonesia’s dependence on imported orchid seedlings, according to Mufidah Yusuf Kalla, wife of former vice president Yusuf Kalla.

Mufidah raised the issue during the inauguration of her flower farm in Malino, Gowa regency, South Sulawesi, on Sunday.

“We have a wide range of orchids, but their development is still very small. In fact, many of our orchid growers import seeds and orchid flowers from abroad,” she said.

On the other hand, many orchids developed and cultivated overseas originate from Indonesia, she said.

“They are crossbred to yield other species. The seeds are then sold to orchid growers in Indonesia. They are cheap but after entering Indonesia, they become expensive due to various costs, including tax,” she said.

Mufidah acknowledged that orchids were not as popular as chrysanthemums or tulips, as orchids were regarded as expensive because they were still less cultivated.

The Malino farm aims to cultivate orchids and seedlings, including by crossbreeding various types of orchid to produce new species. The seedlings will be sold at reduced prices to orchid farmers.

“It’s time to make the orchid a host in its own country. If we can produce numerous and varied seeds and flowers, orchid growers would no longer import from overseas, so the price would be cheaper. Farmers could also be advantaged and their income increased,” said Mufidah, adding that the farm was expected to be able to encourage other orchid lovers to cultivate orchids.

The orchid farm is located in a natural resort famous for its temperate climate. It is the second of its kind managed by Mufidah.

Earlier, she and Indonesian Orchid Association production and promotion affairs head Riantini Wanandi jointly managed an orchid farm in Cibulan, Bogor, West Java, which is also equipped with a laboratory to cultivate orchids through crossbreeding.

The Malino farm, spanning 2,000 square meters, is equipped with a 1,500 square meter greenhouse, able to accommodate 20,000 plants. The farm is currently home to around 5,000 orchid plants, dominated by the colorful moon orchid. Mufidah is working together with the Taiwan Orchid Breeders Society to cultivate orchids.

According to her, Makassar was once famous as an orchid city in Indonesia. During the 1980s, the city hosted the Asia Pacific Orchid Conference. However, the public’s interest in developing orchids has since dwindled.

“The potential of the orchid market is very big, be it in the country or overseas. Currently, the domestic orchid demand has not been met. So, we must encourage orchid lovers and farmers to further develop their business so they can improve their well being,” Mufidah said.

Riantini Wanandi said that many orchid species from Indonesia had been taken overseas and cultivated there, especially the rare species. They crossbreed them with other species to produce new species, claim them as theirs and register patent rights in the United Kingdom.

She added that orchid cultivation overseas was quicker and easier due to the use of culture networking, unlike in Indonesia, which still used the usual method which was more time consuming.

According to F. Rahardi, an official of the Indonesian Orchid Association, Indonesia is home to around 1,000 orchid species, around 100 of which are rare and have high economic value.