An abundance of greenery and blooms have been gladdening the eyes of visitors to Banteng Square, Central Jakarta, since Friday, following the opening of a month-long floral festival, the 2017 Banteng Expo.

For plant lovers, this annual expo, which is held until Mar. 26, is a chance to add to their horticultural collections, while for vendors, it is time to earn more profits amid a mushrooming of similar festivals recently in the city.

One such vendor, Asmoro Sri Hartanto, said that in previous years, he could earn tens of millions of rupiah a day from plant sales alone at the festival.

“We sell many kinds of plants here, mostly fruit trees, from limes that only cost Rp 50,000 [US$3.70] to Thai date trees, which cost around Rp 7.5 million,” said Asmoro who has 15 stalls across Jakarta.

Last year, he said, he made around Rp 1.5 billion at the expo. Of the total revenue, 40 percent came from plant sales, while the remainder was from sales of gardening books and herbs and processed fruit.

Joko Suwarno, 51, a vendor from Surakarta, Central Java, who specializes in durian trees, is also expecting greater profits this year. He earned around Rp 200 million in last year’s event. He said a bag of durian seeds was sold for as much as Rp 3 million.

Not only plant vendors, pot and other sellers hope to do well at the event. “We sell various sizes of pots here,” said Margono, 40, who had brought hundreds of pots from Cibubur, East Jakarta.

He is one of a few vendors who do not sell plants at the event. “The smallest one will only cost you Rp 5,000. The biggest pot is not too expensive either, only about Rp 100,000,” said Margono, who earned around Rp 300 million in last year’s expo.

As many as 115 vendors, 80 percent of whom come from outside Jakarta, are participating in this year’s expo, said Banteng Expo organizer head Wendy Budhi Safitri.

“Most of them have even set up tents in Banteng Square, so their booths will remain open around the clock during the expo,” said Wendy.

Besides plants, this year the organizers are also offering other programs to draw more visitors.

“Last year, most visitors were botany enthusiasts. But we have added various programs for everybody, such as kids’ games, consultation sessions with the Jakarta Parks and Cemeteries Agency and many more,” Wendy said.

She hoped that the expo would become an alternative attraction for Jakartans who were bored of spending their leisure time in malls.

“This expo is a great opportunity for those who are seeking plants and gardening products at reasonable prices because all merchants are providing special discounts for customers,” she added.

The expo organizers are also looking to attract more visitors by giving away plants and seeds at selected public locations in an effort to promote the event. (dea)

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