Kenya's flower industry is poised for a significant shift as the country prepares to export flowers via the standard gauge railway (SGR) by the end of 2022.
According to Clement Tulezi, CEO of the Kenya Flower Council (KFC), the flowers will be transported via refrigerated railway containers from Nairobi to the port of Mombasa for onward export to Europe.
“Transportation of fresh produce by rail is also better for the environment due to lower carbon emissions as compared to road or air transport,” Tulezi said during the opening ceremony of the International Floriculture Trade Exhibition (IFTEX) on May 31, 2022.
Kenya's flower industry has been a significant contributor to the country's foreign exchange earnings, with flowers earning the country 109 billion shillings (about 934 million U.S. dollars) in 2021, making them the largest source of foreign exchange earnings after tea.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the limitations of air freight, leading to a drastic reduction in air cargo capacity, and the use of the SGR is expected to provide a more reliable and efficient mode of transportation.
