Spotlight on flower growers as Kebs unveil new standards

Flower farms in the country will now have to be certified following the launch of the Kenya Standard Code of Practice which specifically deals with flowers.

The new code ‘KS 1758 Standards’ is mandatory to all flower farmers and will seek to address the issues of workers, environment and consumers.

The Kenya Flower Council (KFC) CEO Jane Ngige termed the new standards as timely, noting it would accommodate international standards. She noted that the sector was growing and added that currently there were 50 flower market destinations for Kenya’s horticulture produce.

Speaking during the launch of the Standards at Enashipai Spa in Naivasha, Ngige said the sector earned Sh56 billion last year after exporting 135,000 tonnes of produce. “The new code embraces all the other standards and we are happy that small scale farmers and counties are working with us on this issue,” she said.

On his part, Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) Managing Director Charles Ongwae said the organisation would work with KFC to enforce the new code. He said the code would not only be protecting consumers but also workers in the sector and the environment.

“The new standards will be gazzetted soon and I challenge farmers to comply with all flower growers who will be certified under this new code,” he said. Industrialisation Principal Secretary, Wilson Songa who was the chief guest praised the new code of standards, noting that it would help improve quality of produce to the market.

EU market

He noted that the sector had grown rapidly, adding that annual production had risen from 10,946 tonnes in 1988 to 124,000 tonnes in 2014. “The new code will make Kenya’s produce more competitive in the EU market and as a government we are committed to easing the cost of doing business,” he said.

The PS was full of praise for the floriculture sector due to its growth, noting that it had employed over 90,000 people directly and another two million indirectly. Agricultural Counselor at the Netherlands Embassy Bert Rikken noted that the flower sector had in the recent past faced numerous challenges.

“The sector, which is on an upward trend has faced various challenges like harsh rules and regulations in the market and tens of taxes,” he added during the launch of the new code.

The director crop resources in the Ministry of Agriculture, Johnson Irungu identified the horticulture sector as one of the fastest growing in the country after tea and dairy.

“The biggest challenge facing the sector is the harsh food and phyto-sanitary standards in the market but we are happy that our produce has complied with this,” he said.