Kenya's booming flower business is proof trade, not aid, will help Africa out of poverty, said HE Joseph Muchemi, Kenya’s High Commissioner.
The diplomat chose this years Kenya Flower Day, held at the Flowers 05 trade exhibition in London, to remind the UK that Africa should be in the spotlight for its triumphs as well as its woes.
Muchemi said: “2005 is an extremely important year for Africa. We await the meeting of G8 with a lot of anticipation. There are so many people committed to ending the poverty in Africa, it’s heart-warming.”
He commended Tony Blair and Bob Geldof for their respective actions to improve the lives of Africans but said they had forgotten to mention the other side of the coin.
“The point that seems to be lost is that there are many success stories,” said Muchemi. “The one I am so proud of is the success of the Kenya flower industry. I can't tell you how much it gladdens my heart.”
Erastius Mereithi, chairman of the Kenya Flower Council, also announced that the council's code of practice has just been accredited by EurepGAP.
Steve Homer, EurepGAP Ornamentals Technical Standards Committee chairman said: “The Kenya Flower Council is the first national growers’ association to achieve benchmark status with the EurepGAP ornamentals’ scheme and, in doing so, underwrites its position as a genuine world-class standard and dynamic industry association.”
Exports of cut flowers from Kenya have again reached record levels with 2004 results showing a 44.7 per cent increase over 2003 in volume terms.
Export value rose by 13.48 per cent over the same period, with volumes reaching 88,244 tonnes in 2004 compared with 60,983t in 2003.
Muchemi claimed this success had been possible in part thanks to a lack of interference from the government.
