Kenya: Council expert predicts country’s flower export to expand by 20 pct in 2019

According to the chief of Kenya Flower Council, the value of East African country’s flower exports is expected to inflate by 20 percent in this year in comparison to the previous year.

In 2018, the export earnings from cut flowers hit approximately 113.2 billion Kenyan shillings (USD 1.1 billion), which was a 38 percent rise from the previous year, according to the Chief Operating Officer of Kenya Flower Council, Clement Tulezi.

"There is currently an oversupply of flowers in the international market but the earnings of the Kenya floriculture sector exports is still expected to expand by 20 percent in 2019," Tulezi said during the opening ceremony of the eighth edition of the International Flower Trade Expo (IFTEX), as reported by Xinhua.

The three-day expo brought together more than 180 national and international companies in the flower value chain. According to Kenya Flower Council, Kenya is the world's fourth largest exporter of cut flowers and accounts for around 40 percent of all cut flower imports into the European Union.

Tulezi said that Kenya's flower sector is keen to diversify its overseas markets and is looking forward to expanding into more markets including China, Japan, India, Australia, Canada, United States and Eastern Europe.

Tulezi added that Kenya is prioritizing sustainability in the flower industry in order to reduce the environmental impact of the sector's production.

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