The Kenya Flower Council is a voluntary body of industrial association for

floriculture Floriculture (from ) is the study of the efficient production of the plants that produce showy, colorful flowers and foliage for human enjoyment in human environments. It is a commercially successful branch of horticulture and agriculture found ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

. Its secretariat is in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

Trade association for flower industry

The Council is involved in issues of industry

lobbying Lobbying is a form of advocacy, which lawfully attempts to directly influence legislators or government officials, such as regulatory agency, regulatory agencies or judiciary. Lobbying involves direct, face-to-face contact and is carried out by va ...

, worker safety,

environmental protection Environmental protection, or environment protection, refers to the taking of measures to protecting the natural environment, prevent pollution and maintain ecological balance. Action may be taken by individuals, advocacy groups and governments. ...

, industrial regulation, industrial development and flower farming company accreditation, as well as more weighty issues of global

carbon dioxide emission Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activities intensify the greenhouse effect. This contributes to climate change. Carbon dioxide (), from burning fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, oil, and natural gas, is the main cause of climate chan ...

s and international industrial diplomacy. KFC Code of Practice (CoP) is assigned to the whole flower industry in Kenya, promoting good agricultural practice, sustainability and social accountability, while hygiene health and safety is highly respected along with capacity building, environmental protection and conservation to adhere to. In 1970, Kenya did not export floriculture crops, and it is currently the major exporter to the European Union, as an exporter of 38% of cut flower into the EU. The main European Union markets are Holland, United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Switzerland. Kenya’s export of

cut flowers Cut flowers are flowers and flower buds (often with some Plant stem, stem and leaf) that have been cut from the plant bearing it. It is removed from the plant for decorative use. Cut greens are leaves with or without stems added to the cut flow ...

for international flower market started to expand in 1990, both in volume and value year by year. It was 10,946 tons in 1988, 86,480 tons (2006) and reached 122,825 tons in 2015. According to Kenya National Bureau of Statistics in 2014, the flower farming industry earned Kshs 54.6 billion. The Kenya Flower Council was formed in 1996 to represent those independent Kenyan

cut flower Cut flowers are flowers and flower buds (often with some stem and leaf) that have been cut from the plant bearing it. It is removed from the plant for decorative use. Cut greens are leaves with or without stems added to the cut flowers for con ...

and

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

growers with

exporters An export in international trade is a good produced in one country that is sold into another country or a service provided in one country for a national or resident of another country. The seller of such goods or the service provider is an ' ...

, and its membership counts approximately 100 enlisted as of August 2016Major players in the industry includes but not limited to Finlay Flowers Ltd, Flamingo HorOculture Kenya Ltd, Kariki Group, Mzurri Farms, P. J. Dave Farms, Sian Agriflora Farms, and Vegpro Group. with 3,000 small scale out growers. That membership provides over 65% of the flowers exported. The increasing demand in the UK market especially on mixed bouquets encouraged more direct sales from Kenya, in contrast to the conventional auction system. However, as Kenyan flower industry has grown to dominate the UK market, social and environmental strains was caused rooted in the rose farms surrounding Lake Naivasha which was brought to the attention of EU media.

Lobbying in the EU

In 2015, Kenya Flower Council announced to the flower industry to put up programs and implement compliance regulation nationwide in response to the importing nations and their move for stringent regulations; the import taxes EU imposed on Kenyan cut flowers in October 2014 was seen slowing down the industry. However, the planning and advice the Council provided for the reform failed to meet the timetable set by the EU to result in penalty money on the industry. With a financial aid of 400,000 US dollars provided by the Dutch government for the program implementation, the KFC anticipated to involve all sectors in the Kenyan flower industry by the end of 2015. Kenya provides 40 percent of all European Union imports with its floricultural produces, and the risk to lose competition against other developing cut flower exporters in the world put the industry in Kenya to meet the EU regulation in the form of tariff, which was lifted in December 2015.

Industrial development schemes

Rwanda is negotiated for ODA partnership with Kenyan government to gain support on cut flower industry. A development of flower park is initiated by KFC, expanding over 35 hectare is discussed located in 30 kilometers' radius from Kigali, Rwanda's capital. By 2017, estimated income to Rwandan government from the local flower farming industry will be in excess of $200 million, or annual yield of three million cut flowers

Auditing and accreditation activities

Domestically, the Kenya Flower Council (KFC) is affiliated with the Horticultural Crops Development Authority (HCDA), the Fresh Produce Exporters Association of Kenya (FPEAK) and with the

Kenya Bureau of Standards The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) is a government agency responsible for governing and maintaining the standards and practices of metrology in Kenya. It was established by an Act of Parliament of Kenya's National Assembly, ''The Standard Act'', ...

(KEBS). It publishes a detailed Code of Practice (CoP) and employs a rating system for its member companies, involving Gold Standard ranking, Silver Standard ranking and Associate rankings. Globally, the board subscribes to the Good Agricultural Practices guideline system of the

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. Its Latin motto, , translates t ...

(FAO), and to GLOBALG.A.P. A yearly growth of 5 percent is anticipated for the flower industry in Kenya between 2016 and 2020, and the government is going to continue investments as well as to accumulate and expand growth rate each year. According to KEBS in 2014, the floriculture industry earned Kshs (Kenya Shillings) 54.6 billion. HCDA reported provisional statistics in 2015 that Kshs 62.9 billion was earned by the Kenyan cut flower industry.

Notes

References

External links

Kenya Flower Council official site
* * {{Floral organizations 1996 establishments in Kenya Agricultural organisations based in Kenya Business organisations based in Kenya Floral organizations Organisations based in Nairobi Organizations established in 1996