Since Kenya Airways last October started to operate with direct nonstop flight from Nairobi to New York, the road is paved for direct exports of Kenyan grown fresh flowers to the US market. For this reason a strong Kenyan presence is planned during the upcoming World Floral Expo in Dallas.
Following the recently started direct flights between Kenya and the USA, exports of Kenyan flowers to the US market are starting to grow. Although they are not there yet, finally a bridge has been established, to support this growth.
Flower growers from Kenya have been waiting long for the moment that they could enter the enormous US market with Kenyan grown flowers. Shipping directly to the US market without having to reload the flowers somewhere in Europe, affecting both their freshness and cost price, was simply not possible until now.
Since Kenya Airways last October started to operate with direct nonstop flight from Nairobi to New York, the road is paved for direct exports of Kenyan grown fresh flowers to the US market. For this reason a strong Kenyan presence is planned during the upcoming World Floral Expo in Dallas. Over 12 flower growers have booked exhibit space at this year’s edition of WFE.
US flower production
World Floral Expo is a trade show that offers a platform especially for growers, where they can introduce and present their very best export products to the US flower buyers. “A long term market and therefore much more promising than the Chinese market. While US flower production is structurally limited and therefore heavily depending on imports, Chinese flower production is high and growing fast and, although depending on flower imports now, a relatively short term export market for imported flowers”, organizers of WFE commented, when asked about the difference in potential between the US and Chinese markets.
Kenyans flower exporters seem to realize this and are taking the opportunity to travel to Dallas next month to investigate their chances on the US market. At the same time representatives of various Kenyan Agriculture departments are flying in to the show as well to find out more about US import requirements for fresh flowers, so they can serve their growers better when they start exporting.
With to date almost 75 exhibiting floral companies from Ecuador, Kenya, Colombia, Holland, Canada, but as well as from the USA itself, it promises to be a very interesting trade show for the flower buyers.
