By George Obulutsa
NAIROBI, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Export earnings by Kenyan flower producers fell to 32 billion shillings ($420.8 million) in 2009 from 40 billion in 2008, hit by drought at home and the global economic slowdown, the country's flower council said on Sunday.
Flower exports are among the leading foreign exchange earners for the east African economy. The European Union is the main market.
Export volumes dropped to 87,000 tonnes from 93,000 tonnes in 2008, Jane Ngige, chief executive of the private Kenya Flower Council, said.
'We had a difficult year due to the financial crisis and climate change ... we cut production because of limited water available, but also in the market place when the winters are too cold consumers don't go shopping so there was less demand,' she told Reuters on the sidelines of a flower arranging exhibition.
'This year we are hoping to do better than 2009. We would like to beat the target set in 2008 of 93,000 tonnes.'
Late last year the Kenya Flower Council said it expected flower exports to drop by 14 percent to 80,000 tonnes, undermined by drought and a depressed world market.
Ngige said many growers cut back production in 2009 to conserve water. 'Very few of the farms went into expansion and a lot of them retracted production,' she said.
Ngige said the industry was seeking new markets in Europe, Japan and the United States, although the distance to North America presented a challenge.
'The biggest challenge is the distance and the fact that we don't have any direct flights into the U.S.' she said.
(Editing by David Holmes)
($1=76.05 Kenyan Shilling)
((nairobi.newsroom@reuters.com +254 20 2224 717; Reuters Messaging: george.obulutsa.reuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: KENYA FLOWERS/ (For more Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://af.reuters.com/) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
NAIROBI, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Export earnings by Kenyan flower producers fell to 32 billion shillings ($420.8 million) in 2009 from 40 billion in 2008, hit by drought at home and the global economic slowdown, the country's flower council said on Sunday.
Flower exports are among the leading foreign exchange earners for the east African economy. The European Union is the main market.
Export volumes dropped to 87,000 tonnes from 93,000 tonnes in 2008, Jane Ngige, chief executive of the private Kenya Flower Council, said.
'We had a difficult year due to the financial crisis and climate change ... we cut production because of limited water available, but also in the market place when the winters are too cold consumers don't go shopping so there was less demand,' she told Reuters on the sidelines of a flower arranging exhibition.
'This year we are hoping to do better than 2009. We would like to beat the target set in 2008 of 93,000 tonnes.'
Late last year the Kenya Flower Council said it expected flower exports to drop by 14 percent to 80,000 tonnes, undermined by drought and a depressed world market.
Ngige said many growers cut back production in 2009 to conserve water. 'Very few of the farms went into expansion and a lot of them retracted production,' she said.
Ngige said the industry was seeking new markets in Europe, Japan and the United States, although the distance to North America presented a challenge.
'The biggest challenge is the distance and the fact that we don't have any direct flights into the U.S.' she said.
(Editing by David Holmes)
($1=76.05 Kenyan Shilling)
((nairobi.newsroom@reuters.com +254 20 2224 717; Reuters Messaging: george.obulutsa.reuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: KENYA FLOWERS/ (For more Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://af.reuters.com/) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
© 2010 AFX News
