Flower industry leaders from all over the world attended the fourth edition of Flower Logistics Africa 2019 held in Nairobi, Kenya on October 23. deliberating on the overall theme 'Making Flower Trade Sustainable: Economically, Environmentally and digitally', the conference brought together key stakeholders - growers, shippers, logistics services providers, airline and airports.
In keeping with the theme, the topics of discussion revolved around the impact of the African Continent Free Trade Agreement (AFCFTA) on the business, building cold chain capacity for African exports, need for visibility through digital transformation and exploring innovations in packaging.
Extending a welcome to the delegates, Jacob Bwana, commercial manager-cargo, Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) shed light on some of the challenges that KAA faces in terms of lack of quality infrastructure, lack of open skies in the continent, and transportation of good across borders for final deliveries.
While speaking on the impact of the implementation of AFCFTA on African flower trade, Clement Tulezi, CEO, Kenya Flower Council (KFC), mentioned that for a long time, Kenya has over-relied on the European market. “I believe that we can diversify into other markets and become competitive even if we have other people who are present in those markets. We believe in the quality of our products, and with better promotion and entry into those markets, we are able to make headway,” he said. Tulezi expressed an optimism in the growth of the flower trade, overtaking tea as the biggest business in Kenya. He also stressed on the need for innovation in the business.
Ann Gikonyo, officer, Agriculture & Food Authority said that they were looking beyond traditional European markets for Kenyan flowers, to expand in countries like Japan and South Korea.
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