Exports of Kenyan flowers have again reached record levels, it was revealed at this year's Kenya Flower Day.
The chairman of the Kenya Flower Council, Erastus Mureithi said that production increased considerably in 2003 on the previous year. He said: "Kenya exported more than 60,000 tonnes of fresh cut flowers, compared with 52,000t in 2002. The production of cut flowers is the fastest-growing sector of the Kenya economy and year-on-year average growth has been 20 per cent. When we held our first Kenya Flower Day in the UK in 1998, the export figure was a little more than 30,000t, so exports have doubled in six years.
Described by Mureithi as one of the most successful industries in Kenya, it was announced that cut flowers earned Kenya $219 million in 2003. He added: "The industry employs around 70,000 people directly and another two million in ancillary sectors, it also creates employment in rural areas, which stops the drift to our towns and cities as people look for work."
The Kenya Flower Council's new Code of Practice was heralded as an important part of the industry's future. "An entirely new chapter in the latest code, to be launched in August this year, covers corporate social responsibility," said Mureithi. "This is based on our discussions with the Ethical Trading Initiative and our collaboration with civil society organisations... Compliance with the code is mandatory for members within a year of the launch of the new edition."
