The 6th edition of the international flower trade expo IFTEX ended successfully last Friday in the Nairobi Based Oshwal Center, the venue of this annual organized flower event. The fair was opened by Kenya Flower Council’s chairman Mr. Richard Fox, who praised the important and still growing position of Kenya in the world trade of flowers.
Winners of the competitions in the category “non-perishables – hard good suppliers” were Amiran ending at a 4rd place receiving a bronze award, Agrichem at 3rd receiving silver, Panalpina at 2nd receiving gold and at 1st Elgon receiving the platinum award for this achievement. In the category “perishables – flowers” the prices went to Isinya ending at a 4rd place receiving a bronze award, Subati at 3rd receiving silver, Omang Amor at 2nd receiving gold and Black Tulip at 1st receiving the platinum award in this competition.
The event was very well attended. Remarkable were the high number of buyers from Russia and the Middle East. Also a good number of buyers from various European and Asian countries came to visit this year’s fair.
It was however notable that not many Dutch flower traders trade were present this year. “To be able to see almost 100% of all existing Kenyan growers in just 3 days, should be reason enough for them to attend, I would say”. But apparently not, although I just can’t understand at all why not to make use of this unique opportunity of having all flower growers together in one place at one point in time”, Dick van Raamsdonk of HPP said when being asked where “the Dutch” were.
Pre-registered and therefore expected US buyers didn’t show up in the end, most likely as a result of direct flights between Kenya and the USA not being operational until now, the expectation is that they will attend the moment the flights will actually commence, which is expected in the middle of next year. In the case of the Chinese buyers, they did attend, although in smaller numbers than the pre-registered numbers showed. However it is expected that their number will grow steadily for the coming editions of IFTEX. “For both the US and Chinese markets, promotion efforts to attend IFTEX 2018 will be intensified”, van Raamsdonk commented.
