INTERVIEW


Q & A


with Kenji Tanaka and Jairo Arango


The younger generation of growers thinks and acts diff erent- ly from their dads. In many fl ower-growing families they are well-educated and looking to the future for more innovative ways to produce crops. Also, when it comes to marketing, the younger farmers tend to be more proactive. They may not believe they can grow a better crop, but they do believe they can make more money per acre than their dads.


We would like to introduce to you two young and success- ful cut fl ower growers: Kenaji Tanaka from Japan and Jairo Arango from Colombia, who share with us their views and opinions on farming.


Q: Why did you choose fl oriculture as your career path?


Kenji Tanaka: My parents were in the business of growing fl owers, so I just rolled in and followed them.


Jairo Arango: Because it is amazing to work with a live nature where you can observe fast changes. It is the case of the products that we plant. You can see in three months the complete development of a plant going from a cutting to a fl ower.


3 4 FloralNews www.SelectaCutFlowers.com


Q: What are the challenges the cut fl owers farms are facing in Japan?


Kenji Tanaka: In people’s considerations, food is bought fi rst, and there simply is not much left for fl owers. The number of people who want to have fl owers in their home is declining. Costs of producing fl owers are rising, and we have diffi culties in keeping up with this. These are the main challenges we are facing today.


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