කෙන්යානු මල් අපනයනයේ අනාගතය පෙන්වන වාර්ෂික මල් ප්රදර්ශනය
Growers showcase unique blossoms at Kenya Flower Festival
Growers at the Kenya Flower Festival have been showcasing varieties of intriguing flowers that have helped the country's horticulture sector emerge as one of its top foreign-exchange earners.
The East African nation supplies a huge portion of Europe's cut flowers, with statistics indicating that for every 10 stems in a bouquet, four may be from Kenya.
Kenya's flower industry has braved challenges facing the industry globally to continue producing the widest range of new varieties. It's a development that has kept buyers returning to Nairobi every year for the past 10 years to meet producers in search of the latest releases.
"Every year, when I attend this event, I see a very different landscape. We've seen new flowers. We've seen new varieties from the breeders, we've seen new flowers coming up from the growers. So it's a very important show. It helps the florists and the suppliers to come in and see what is growing in Kenya and what is being grown around," said Rosemary Kimunya, founder of Kenya Flower Festival.
Growers, breeders, sellers and buyers feasted on the brilliance of the numerous varieties on display. The expo also gave an opportunity to sellers and buyers to connect with each other and discover new trends and flower varieties.
"This exhibition is very helpful to us because we have come to know of various varieties of flowers like lilies, roses, mums, so it gives us fresh ideas. We sell flowers in the DRC," said Prince Kaupi, a flower seller from Democratic Republic of Congo.
"I am an interior designer from Goma, DRC, we came here to see more flowers, and to network so I can enhance my business," said Esther Manegu, an interior designer.
Kenya ranks as Africa's leading exporter of cut flowers and the fourth in the world after the Netherlands, Colombia and Ecuador. Kenya's flower industry is a lifeline for about 2 million people.
"This year, we are talking about sustainability. Sustainability is a buzzword in our sector today. We are looking at how we manage processes, How we manage all the elements of production but also how we manage people," said Clement Telezi, chairman of the National Horticulture Taskforce.
Behind the bloom, scents and allure that comes with flowers, challenges like climate change abound. The changing weather patterns are affecting productivity, altering the plant cycle, flower sizes and at times their color.
At a time when climate change is considered among the greatest challenges of the 21st century, those in the floriculture sector believe they should lead in pushing the sustainability agenda by ensuring carbon neutrality and applying eco-friendly strategies.
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