Kenyan flowers are popular across the world on Valentine's Day despite logistics challenges.
NAIROBI, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The atmosphere was filled with messages and colors of love in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, on Valentine's Day.
As one of the top four exporters of cut flowers in the world, Kenyan flowers are popular across the world for their great quality and refreshing nature.
However, Kenya flowers are not only popular abroad but at home too. The city was in a buzz on Valentine's day as many shopped for their loved ones.
A florist sells flowers on Valentine's Day in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, Feb. 14, 2022. (Photo by Charles Onyango/Xinhua)
"I love flowers, the aroma in the flowers is awesome, especially the red roses I really love. Above all, flowers give people some peace, even if somebody was annoyed and you take some flowers, you suppress the anger so flowers are very nice," said Florence Kanyua, a local resident.
Clement Tulezi, CEO of Kenya Flower Council (KFC), said during a period like Valentine's time, they export close to 50 percent of all their sales, adding that between January and February they export some 100,000 tonnes all over the globe.
Despite the success in the flower industry, KFC has reported challenges that have affected the industry following the COVID-19 pandemic that hit the world.
An increase in freight charges from 1.9 U.S. dollars to 5.8 U.S. dollars per kilo is some of the challenges sited by the stakeholders.
"It is a shame that we have a big demand in the market and we have the product, but we are not able to move at the moment. We are still short of about 2,500 tonnes per week, which we are hoping that somehow we will be able to fill even after we finish the Valentine," said Tulezi.
The situation has been further aggravated by the higher cost of fertilizer and other costs even as the buying price in the EU remains the same.
KFC says Kenya produced 160,000 tonnes of flowers last year compared to 173,000 tonnes in 2020 attributed to COVID-19 disruptions.
