Commercialization of Dracaena Sanderiana (Lucky Bamboo) as a Foliage Crop in Hambanthota District of Sri Lanka

Dracaena sanderiana is an in-demand cut foliage plant belongs to family Agavaceae. Dracaena varieties are commercially produced in export-oriented large scale plantations in Sri Lanka. The crop is mainly cultivated in the wet zone due to the favourable growth conditions which enhance the export quality characteristics of the plant. The climatic conditions in the dry zone is also favourable for its growth under appropriate conditions. But the supply of the crop still falls short of the demand. A survey was conducted to identify possibilities of introducing Dracaena as a future commercial foliage to the Hambantota district. Randomly selected 40 flower growers from selected divisional secretariat divisions (DSD) in Hambantota were interviewed administrating a pre-tested questionnaire during early 2022. Data were subjected to a percentage analysis while descriptive statistical methods were used to represent the results using Microsoft Excel. According to the survey, bulk of them (60%) continue floriculture business as a full time employment. Middle aged women work in floriculture enterprises in large numbers. The majority of responders (70%), are willing to incorporate Dracaena as a fresh floriculture produce for their nurseries. Fifty percent of them have additional land with natural shade up to 0.25 acres, which is possible to utilize for Dracaena cultivation with proper intervention. Sixty percent of them stated that they prefer to train on value addition of Dracaena plants by knitting. Fifteen percent (15%) of them possess shade net houses and other infrastructure in place. An export-oriented Dracaena producer society in Beliatta DSDs is ready to impart its knowledge and offer advice to novice producers. The need of marketing the products collectively to reduce transportation costs is understood by the respondents. The initial investments on growth structures and irrigation pose a significant challenge. A majority of growers (70%) anticipate receiving financial assistance from the government. A lack of awareness of the crop, low availability of planting materials, high transportation costs along with high prices of fertilizer and fungicides in the markets were other challenges. It is necessary to provide finance support, trading facilities, production aid, and awareness and training initiatives to introduce D. sanderiana as a lucrative crop for the Hambantota district. Keywords: Challenges; Dracaena sanderiana; Dry zone; Hambantota; Potentials