The state of SA's flower industry: Part 3

Carol Sutherland asked flower growers Dirk van der Merwe and Micky de la Porte how the industry has changed.

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Dirk van der Merwe of Maluvha Carnations in Olifantsfontein, near Centurion in Gauteng, studied architecture at the University of Pretoria (UP). When he married the daughter of mega carnation supplier Geoff Botha, he left his career as an architect to join Botha on his farm. He took a particular interest in farm management, as well as operations, and completed a diploma in business management at the UP's post-graduate School of Business. This gave him a good basic background in how to manage fundamental business challenges, something that later stood him in good stead in the running of his own farm.

After Van der Merwe and his wife divorced, his relationship with his father-in-law became volatile, he says. As the relationship ended, so did his work for Botha. However, Van der Merwe was passionate about the flower industry and thus procured his own flower farm, also growing carnations.

ESTABLISHING A FLOWER FARM

Starting a flower farm is not easy and definitely not cheap, says Van der Merwe.

"Even back then, [when it was perhaps easier to get a loan], it wasn't easy. The Industrial Development Corporation [IDC] had been burnt lending money to farmers and was not just giving out loans freely.

My business management diploma was my saving grace at that time," he explains.

In order to secure a loan, Van der Merwe wrote a business plan and approached the IDC.

FAST FACTS

Starting a flower farm is expensive, says Dirk van der Merwe of Maluvha Carnations.

Before growing carnations, the soil must be sterilised with steam.

Peony production hasn't taken off in South Africa, which means there is always a demand for these flowers.