It’s been noticeable during the past few weeks that the Kenyan winter season has begun. The nights are cooler, and there isn’t much irradiation during the day. Production has slowed down all over Kenya. On the bright side, this is having a positive effect on price formation. Things are quiet at the nursery. A good time to catch up on some outstanding work. And a good clean-out of the nursery wouldn’t hurt either.
It’s also a good time to take a slightly longer break. No matter how great life is over here, it’s good to press the reset button every now and again and return to the overly organised anthill we call the Netherlands for a while. We haven’t been able to press this button for almost two years due to all the travel restrictions. So, I can’t wait to spend some time in the Netherlands again.
Our growth in Kenya has been limited during the past few years. 2019 wasn’t an easy year, and we all know what happened in 2020. 2021 began more positively and as a result, many companies in Kenya are now planning to expand.
We have been looking into this, too. The opportunities are there, and we feel an obligation towards our community. It’s not unusual in Kenya that people wait outside the gates of a company hoping to be hired that day. On an average Monday, we have more than 500 people lined up at our gates, all looking for a job. You can probably already guess the direction this story is taking. Yes, we have already ordered the greenhouses for our next project. Does this make us development workers or rose growers? A little bit of both, I guess.
Unfortunately, the Dutch ambassador didn’t want to come and see this synergy in action. We received an invitation from him in our digital mailbox earlier this week for a fancy dinner at the embassy. The new ambassador is getting to know the country and all the Dutch companies that are based here. Our province was next on his list. But unfortunately, our counter-invitation for him to come and have a look around the nursery on the day of the dinner was never answered.
Perhaps he’ll be more interested when we’ve grown a little bigger. But I’m first going to enjoy my well-deserved holiday, and after that, it will be full steam ahead towards Tima6!
Thomas Fransen,
General manager Timaflor
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