Hasmah Abdullah tends to the ornamental plants she sells at her stall at the Rimba Horticulture Centre. Picture: BT/Bahrum Ali

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

FOR the past 30 years, Hasmah Abdullah has been earning a living selling ornamental plants. She wouldn’t have been able to do it if not for her green thumb.

The 60-year-old vendor now tends to her stalls at the Rimba Horticulture Centre and the weekend Pasar Gadong, with the help of several of her grandchildren. “I started planting ornamental plants when I was still young together with my husband. We planted the seeds … and now the plants have grown,” she said.

She said that since the flowers and plants she had planted at her house at Jalan Gadong had flourished, a friend approached her and suggested for her to sell them. She agreed and immediately set up a stall.

Hasmah recalled that at the time, sales were healthy, easily reaching more than $1,500 a day.

She said there was not much competition then and people were more than eager to buy colourful flowers and plants for their homes.

“One of the flowers that was very popular at the time was the Bunga Gelombang Cinta (the Love Wave),” she said.

She said a pot of the flowering plant had fetched more than $1,000 at the time. “Still, because people loved it, they still bought it.”

But other flower vendors started selling it to the point the price dropped to less than $50, she said.

Hasmah said though dealing with competition was a minor challenge.

She said the capital she put into the business was almost close to zero because when she started she had already planted the seeds. “Now I am just reaping the fruits of my labour,” she said, adding she feels like she has nothing to lose.

But to ensure sales, she said she tries to provide more varieties of flowers to customers.

Still, Hasmah said the income was unpredictable

“On a good day, I’d earn money, but and on a bad day, the opposite,” she said.

It helps, she said, that she has two stalls.

“All and all, I could make close to $700 in profit a month nowadays and for that I praise God for His blessings,” she said.

“Be it small or big income, it is up to The One above and we cannot give up. We must keep on doing our work passionately,” she said. The Brunei Times

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