Kenya is moving quickly to meet new Australian biosecurity rules that now require cut flowers to be fumigated in the country of origin before export. The shift has put pressure on growers and exporters who previously handled fumigation after arrival in Australia.
Australia introduced the new requirements on 1 March, with the rules initially set to start in August before Kenya secured an extension to December.
Nehemiah Chepkwony, the interim head of the Horticulture Crops Directorate, said the change is a major obstacle for the industry. “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,” he said.
With the deadline approaching, Kenya’s ambassador in Australia was also seeking more time as the country pushed to put the needed infrastructure in place. The Horticulture Crops Directorate has already licensed three private firms to invest in the facilities.
One of the approved companies is SGS Kenya, which is setting up a facility at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The other firms are Vegpro Group and Panalpina Kenya Ltd. Chepkwony said the aim was to have the facilities ready within two months so exporters could comply with the new requirement.
Kenya’s exposure to the Australian market is significant. The country is the leading flower exporter to Australia, with monthly exports averaging 30 tonnes. A partnership between Kenya Airways and Australia’s Qantas Airways has also helped streamline shipments to cities such as Sydney and Melbourne.
Official figures from Australia’s Federal Department of Agriculture show that in 2017 Kenya exported cut flowers worth $16.2 million to Australia, ahead of Malaysia at $12 million, and Colombia and Ecuador, both at $9.1 million.
Demand remained strong in 2018. In February alone, Australia imported 5.22 million rose stems from Kenya, up from 4.37 million in the same month the previous year.
