The horticulture industry
expects record returns this year following higher export
volumes and better value in the first quarter of the year,
compared to last year.
The results for the first quarter are all the more impressive
considering the sector suffered from the post election violence
in which many workers were displaced from the regional hub
of Naivasha.
The flower farms in the area were forced to house employees
within the plantations to ensure production continued. That
effort appears now to have paid off in a big way.
High value
Results on the first quarter released on Tuesday by Kenya
Horticulture Development Program showed a 50 per cent rise
in export value while volumes increased by 30 per cent.
Miraa shipments, mainly to Somalia and United Kingdom, outperformed
last year's first quarter exports by Sh2.2 billion.
The proportion of high value vegetable packs of over Sh200
per kilogram relative to low value products of under Sh80
per kilogramme went up from 55 per cent to 89 per cent of
total fresh vegetable exports, reflecting a marked increase
in quality.
KHDP attributed this to the fact that the customs department
picks up some dry legumes under the same codes as fresh
beans and peas.
Jane Ngige, the chief executive of the Kenya Flower Council,
attributed the good performance to reliable rainfall and
the support the industry got from communities around the
flower farms during the political violence.
She however said the violence led to increased production
costs, especially relating to workers' welfare. Data on
the value of losses was however not available.
"The better performance despite first quarter difficulties
shows that there is something the industry is doing right,"
she said.
Good relations with surrounding communities, guided by the
industry's code of conduct is seen as having given the workers
and the community a sense of ownership in the industry."
We were amazed at the extent the workers were ready to go
to protect the industry during the violence. It's partly
because of the way we treat them," she said.
The growth was also attributed to the global interest in
Kenya's horticultural products of high quality and their
efficient delivery.
The council said that in January it embarked on a communication
exercise assuring the international market that the violence
would not affect the delivery of the produce.
The KHDP data shows that sales of flower cuttings, the highest
value floriculture product that sells for an average of
Sh865 per kilogramme, increased more than those of cut flowers. |
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