Kenya flower exports flourish despite odds

Kenya's horticultural exports have weathered a storm over carbon pollution and criticisms from human rights groups in Europe to increase volumes. Export earnings and market domination in the first quarter of 2007 are on the rise.

Figures released by the Kenya Flower Council show that the country's flower exports now control 32 per cent of the European Union market, consolidating the lead Kenya achieved in 2000 after edging out Israel and Columbia. This is a point above last year's 31 per cent, which the country attained after climbing from 25 per cent in 2003. Produce from Kenya fetched some 68 million Kenya Shillings ($972,000) during the Easter weekend alone.

A meeting was recently held between Kenya's horticultural industry and representatives of leading British supermarket chains Tesco and Marks and Spencer over carbon mile and environmental concerns. The development has opened a new battle front with environmental and human rights activists accusing the retailers of being more interested in profits than environmental issues.

An NGO calling itself War on Want is asking consumers to boycott products from developing countries, particularly Kenya and Columbia, where it says workers in flower farms are being exploited through underpayment and exposure to poisonous agrochemicals. The NGO also wants supermarkets to stop stocking products from the two countries.

The retailers have responded to growing concerns about climate change in the UK by placing aeroplane stickers on air-freighted products. Tesco has announced plans to take this a step further by showing the total amount of carbon embedded in each product.

Kenya's High Commissioner in London Joseph Muchemi has criticised the continued labelling, which he says may lead to a boycott of such products. But according to Tesco, "Our customers love Kenyan produce. There has been no reduction of sales but instead they seem to have gone up." The supermarket assured a delegation of officials from the Horticultural Crops Development Authority, the Kenya Flower Council and the Export Promotion Council that the supermarkets have no intention of reducing imports from Kenya.

The country supplies 90 per cent of all cut roses, and cut spread carnations sold by the two retailers. Marks and Spencer, the second largest store after Tesco, sources 100 per cent of its green beans and 75 per cent of runner beans from Kenya. This has shifted debate to whether UK retailers should put a plane symbol on imported produce from developing countries to indicate how many miles a product has travelled, to how effective the campaign is.

Although the retailers argued that the labelling was prompted by environmental concerns, fears have emerged that the carbon footprints and food miles policy could drastically reduce earnings and further fuel poverty in Africa. The campaign aims at limiting consumption of products that require long-haul transport, specifically air-freighted goods.

A recent study by UK's Cransfield University titled "Comparative Study of Cut Roses for the British Supermarkets Produced in Kenya and the Netherlands" conducted at Oserian Ltd, one of Kenya's largest flower firms, shows that although air transport does have an environmental impact, air freights from Africa account for far less than one per cent of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions. The study was commissioned by the UK supermarket chain Sainsburys, World Flowers and the International Institute for Environment and Development. The study found that yields in Kenya are double those produced in Netherlands due to the year-round sunshine.

According to Britain's International Development secretary Hilary Benn, consumers should not boycott products from developing countries based on the miles campaign. "People want to buy ethically and do their bit for climate change, but often don't realise that they can support developing countries and reduce carbon emissions. Recent studies show that flowers flown from
Africa can use less energy overall than those produced in Europe because they are not grown in heated greenhouses," he said. He noted that overall, people living in Africa are responsible for a tiny amount of carbon emissions.

Tesco chief executive Terry Leahy says, "A product grown outdoors in a warm country and flown to the UK may have no higher carbon footprint than a product grown out-of-season in Europe in a heated greenhouse."

The East African