Vendors around the Mebrat Hail area sell plastic imitations of the ‘Adey Abeba”, a flower tied to New Year celebrations in Ethiopian history. Bidens Macroptera as it is called in scientific circles is native to Ethiopia and blooms in September intimately tied to the celebrations of the new year which occur in the same month. While flower exports have grown by an average of 18pc across the past five years, the industry which employs around 57,000 people has been associated with labor rights violations. Flower exports have generated over 600 million dollars this year as Ethiopia becomes the fifth largest producer in the world largely owing to its favorable agro-ecology.

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