Ecuador's flower growing technology helps improve food production
It's an export industry worth $800 million to Ecuador, and floriculture is teaching farmers how to grow better food crops.
Benito Jaramillo was perhaps an unusual choice for a meeting of the world's most innovative food producers at Rabobank's F20 conference, as his principle crop is flowers.
"We don't sell food we sell emotions basically and it's a part of life. We need more emotions, more personal contact in the world today."
Mr Jaramillo is president of a summer flower company Valleflor, that employs over 280 people, with sales of $7 million.
He also presides over multi-million dollar potato and dairy businesses. But it's flowers that have taught Ecuadorians a lot about protected cropping.
"We've become very efficient in those two industries by shifting some of the technology from the flower industry," he explains.
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