The fear that Kenya’s naturally grown flowers could lose sheen while on transit has held back plans to switch to sea transport, dashing exporters’ hopes of reducing exposure to the cost of aviation fuel.
Growers at the floriculture hub of Naivasha – though beset by high airfreight cost – said the immediate concern of the Sh70 billion-a-year export trade is how fast Kenya’s freshly cut blooms can get to consumers in key markets in Europe, US and Asia.
“Preferably, flowers should reach the end-user within 48 hours of harvesting and thus sea freight to other continents is not feasible at the moment,” said Mr Joseph Kariuki, executive officer of the Lake Naivasha Growers Group, a lobby for 48 farms that grow flowers and other horticultural crops in Naivasha.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: Business Daily
