Domestic market

According to a study published in the African Journal Biotechnology two years ago, the Chinese floriculture industry was "growing like wildfire."

The study, conducted by Abu Kargbo, Jing Mao and Cai-yun Wang, all of the College of Horticulture and Forestry at China's  Huazhong Agricultural University, looked at the flower industry in Kenya, Netherlands and China, and concluded that the future for florists and businessmen who deal in the industry was quite bright.

"The traditional markets are getting saturated and at the same time new markets are developing in the world. It is expected that per-capita consumption and production will go up worldwide because flower products influence the human feelings more than words and gifts," said the study.

That same study revealed that Kenya ranks number six globally in the flower business, and it controls up to two thirds of the African flower market.

The key challenges to the industry in Kenya have been the volatility of the Kenyan shilling against major international currencies, the high cost of airfreight and the increased pressure from groups for better wages and improved safety measures.

The quest for more efficient water management, especially the discharge to water bodies such as Lake Naivasha, has also been a thorn in the flesh of environmental authorities, but the farms have got their act together and are now complying.

Optimistic

While the situation may look bleak, one man who is not worried about the flower farming and export business is John Mututho, the chairman of the Agriculture Committee in Kenya's Parliament. Mututho, is also, coincidentally, the member of Parliament for Naivasha.

He told ChinAfrica there was a huge potential market in China, just waiting to be explored and exploited.

"Europe is in recession; but China appears to be booming. And as more people in China get rich, they won't have to worry about bread and butter issues. They will adopt [similar] lifestyles to the people we are selling flowers to in Europe, and if we break into that market, that will be a boon to the local industry," said Mututho.

"The key question that we must respond to is that we have markets here [in Kenya, where] we have good weather, great technology and very good networks in the flower industry, so all we need to do is to sell the product," he added.

Yunnan Province in China is recorded as the hub of horticulture in that country, with other provinces like Guangdong, Zhejiang and Fujian also ranking high in the flower production business. The Chinese also export their flowers, and Kenya will need to ensure it has something special if it wants to break into the Chinese market.

A study by Huazhong Agricultural University agreed with Mututho's assessment, saying that "domestic markets for China and Kenya are virtually weak and remain unexploited."

"The increase in consumer wealth, population and improved standard of living in China and Kenya are promising for the future growth of their local flower markets," said the study.

According to Kenya's Horticultural Crop Development Authority - which governs the cultivation of flowers, vegetables, and fruits - big flower companies, some of them multinationals, control about 72 percent of the flower production and marketing chain. Small growers control the remainder.

Though many multinational flower exporters in Kenya have their farms in Naivasha and the neighboring Nakuru and Nyandarua towns, some of them are also in other parts of the country, such as Uasin Gishu, Athi River, Kitale, Thika (near Nairobi) and Kericho.

The economies of these towns depend on flowers, and there are many women who eke a living out of the flower farms. Indeed, townships have developed next to the flower farms, but with low wages and the supply of flowers in the international market exceeding the demand, the income is erratic.

This has made these townships hubs for crime and poverty. But as the bloom continues, the smiles are unlikely to fade from the people who inhabit the beautiful town in Naivasha.

(Reporting from Kenya)