Kenya is desperately trying to comply with new demands imposed
by Australia to ensure the country’s cut flowers continue to access the
fast growing market.
Early this year, Australia
introduced new requirements that all flowers exported to the country be
fumigated at the country of origin as part of new biosecurity rules.
Before the new regulations, exporters were undertaking the fumigation
process in Australia.
Although the rules introduced on
March 1 were to take effect in August, the Kenyan government managed to
negotiate for an extension and got a deadline of December.
“Australia’s
new rule that every exporter fumigates flowers at source is a big
challenge for Kenyan growers and exporters because we do not have
fumigation facilities,” said Nehemiah Chepkwony, Horticulture Crops
Directorate interim head.
Deadline
With
the deadline fast looming and amidst efforts by Kenya’s ambassador in
Australia to seek an extension of the grace period, the country is
frantically racing against time to install the necessary facility to
ensure the country continues to access the Australian market.
The Horticulture Directorate has already issued permits to three
private companies to invest in the facilities, one of which is SGS
Kenya. The company is setting up a facility at the Jomo Kenyatta
International Airport.
The other firms are Vegpro
Group and Panalpina Kenya Ltd. “We are hoping to have the facilities
ready in the next two months to enable exporters comply with the
requirement because the Australian market in important for Kenya,” said
Mr Chepkwony.
Being the leading flower exporter to
Australia, Kenya cannot afford to lose the market that has been on a
growth trajectory with exports averaging 30 tonnes per month.
Indeed
a partnership between Kenya Airways and Australia’s Qantas Airways has
significantly boosted the exports due to the creation of an efficient
supply chain that makes it easy to reach key cities like Sydney and
Melbourne.
Official data by Australia’s Federal
Department of Agriculture shows that in 2017 Kenya exported cut flowers
worth $16.2 million to Australia followed by countries like Malaysia
($12 million), Colombia ($9.1 million), and Ecuador ($9.1 million).
In
February this year alone, Australia imported 5.22 million rose stems
from Kenya, up from 4.37 million stems in the same period last year.
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