It’s all rosy for flower traders as Europe opens skies

By John Oyuke

Kenya flower industry is crawling back to normal after losing over Sh770 million ($10 million) to the volcanic ash cloud that made much of northern Europe a no-fly zone.

Kenya Flower Council (KFC) Chief Executive Jane Ngige said growers are happy airlines have started lifting the produce, a good sign that things could stabilise by end of the week.

She said the sector incurred huge losses as tonnes of flowers were not flown to the overseas markets.

This, she added, forced exporters to return flowers to the farms for composting (conversion to manure).

"We shall get out of the crisis", Ngige said in a statement, which coincided with the increased resumption of the suspended flights operating over the European skies.

Shrinking supplies

She added that the international markets were already feeling the weight of shrinking supplies, with supermarkets running short of produce, especially in the United Kingdom that imports 90 per cent of its fresh produce.

Ngige, however, said the industry had not stopped harvesting and as soon as full haul returns, it would be business as usual.

"KLM, Martian Air and Kenya Airways have resumed flights and ferried an estimated 700 tonnes of produce, reducing the total at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA)," she said.

At Homegrown, Managing Director Richard Fox said harvesting and packaging had resumed in anticipation of the return of the flights.

He said the giant grower had not laid off workers, but had sent a few who work in most affected departments such as packing, on leave.

Exporters continued pursuing alternative routes through Spain and Belgium as well as sending produce to the no freight areas by road, while US markets was accessed through South Africa.

However, the alternatives were more costly, pushing expenses by almost 60 per cent in addition to taking the produce longer to get to the markets.

Earlier, the International Union of Flower Associations (Union Fleurs) had asked European Union national airport authorities to resume flights as soon as possible to pre-empt massive layoffs in the labour intensive fresh produce sector worldwide.

Resume flights

"Union Fleurs is using every opportunity and influence to put pressure on European and other national airport authorities to resume flights as soon as possible", said Sandro Cepollina, President of Union Fleurs, in a statement sent to KFC, an affiliate member.

Production of flowers is important for the economy and employment in producing countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Colombia, Ecuador, Israel, Guatemala and Brazil among others.

Cepollina said the situation was of great concern to Union Fleurs and its members. He noted that imports of flowers from countries like Kenya, Ethiopia, Colombia, Equador and Israel had come to almost a complete halt.

"Exports to countries overseas have also largely stopped. This means millions of flowers have been lost and millions of euros damage to the production and trade in flowers", Cepollina added.