Flowers from Kenya
by Dave Marshall on July 4th
According to the Kenya Flower Council, the main source of foreign exchange for Kenya is flower growing. This has overtaken coffee, tea and tourism.
The Kenyan growers have developed an excellent and efficient system where they aim to deliver wrapped bunches to the UK, where staff only need to place them in water, ready for sale. Last year, Kenyan sales of cut flowers abroad were worth £77m.
In 2006, the rose was the top Kenyan variety of export by 74%, Mixed Bouquets was 10%, Alstromeria 5%, Carnations 3%, Alstro 2%, Statice 3% and Veronica 1% each whilst the other varieties account for the remaining 6 per cent.
The flower industry in Kenya is the oldest and largest in Africa and produces mixed bouquets, Arabicum, Delphinium, Eryngium, Gypsophila, Lisianthius, Ornithogalum, Veronica, Asiatic Hybrid Lilies and Oriental Lilies.
New foreign investment from Israel and Holland in recent years has allowed the sector the thrive and many of the main flower producers are owned by expatriates. Millions of flowers produced are exported from Nairobi to Europe every year, the peak period being early February, just in time for Valentine's Day.
Due to the climate in Kenya, the number of flowers being produced is increasing, especially roses. Although Kenya has an excellent climate, the majority of flowers are grown in greenhouses to protect them from heavy rain, wind or hail storms that can reach the highlands, especially in the wet months from April to July. Once they are ready, the freshly cut roses are placed in buckets of water and chemicals. This ensures the roses are protected against germs and diseases and also stops them dropping after harvest.
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