Kenya: New date announced for Flower Logistics Africa

Fresh dates have been announced for Flower Logistics Africa (FLA) and Perishable Logistics Africa (PLA) conferences. While FLA is rescheduled for November 22, PLA will take place on November 23. The changes have been necessitated by requests from several stakeholders on account of the presidential reelection in Kenya scheduled for October 17, which is very close to October 11 & 12, the original dates for FLA and PLA respectively. After taking into account various aspects and considering the potential vulnerabilities involved in the pre and post presidential reelection in Kenya, the organisers in consultation with sponsors and partners decided to postpone the events to November 22 and 23. There is no change in the venue. The conferences will take place at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Nairobi.

While FLA returns to the Kenyan capital city for its second edition, PLA makes its debut this year as a separate logistics conference, taking place at the same venue, for Africa’s perishable exporters.

With “Enhancing Africa’s flower power through better logistics” as the core theme for FLA 2017 and “Perishables: Creating Africa’s Future Logistics Grid” as the theme for the PLA 2017; the events have already garnered support from global organizations as key sponsors of the event.

Saudia Cargo, a global carrier in the air freight industry and a leading carrier of cut flowers from African markets is the Platinum Sponsor of the events. With an extensive global network spanning four continents and 225 international destinations, Saudia Cargo operates a dedicated freighter fleet and offer ample belly capacity on its passenger flights across Asia, Africa, Europe and the USA.

Supporting the two events as the Diamond Sponsor is Holland Flower Alliance, a strategic alliance of Royal FloraHolland, KLM Cargo and Schiphol Airport – three important stakeholders in the global air cargo supply chain of flowers. These three strategic parties with over 300 years of combined experience in flower logistics are joining forces to make the Aalsmeer-Schiphol region the preferred flower hub of Europe.

The cargo division of Kenya’s national carrier Kenya Airways is the Gold Sponsor. Kenya Airways Cargo, the pride of Africa, has significant stake in uplifting perishable commodities produced in Kenya and has been a contributor to the sustainable development of Africa.

Africa’s only all-cargo carrier Astral Aviation is the Silver Sponsor along with its partner Network Aviation Group.

FLA 2017 has received industry support from Kenya Flower Council (KFC), Cool Chain Association (CCA), Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA), Union Fleurs – the international flower trade association, The International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH). Kenya International Freight and Warehousing Association (KIFWA) and WCA Perishables.

The inaugural edition of PLA is supported by industry associations like CCA, KEPHIS, EHPEA, AIPH, KIFWA and WCA Perishables.

The two conferences are aimed to open dialogue and facilitate sharing of ideas, knowledge and practical solutions to improve logistics and supply chain performance of key perishable commodities exported from African countries. The two-day event, covering both flower and other cargo commodities like fruits, vegetable and meat, seeks to develop modern and cost efficient logistics and supply chain infrastructure within the African continent. FLA and PLA will bring under one roof global and regional providers of cold chain logistics, transport services and infrastructure, and will meet with Africa’s flower and perishable producers and shippers. The platform also provides participants to identify new opportunities that will allow African exporters to compete in global markets.

For more information:
www.logupdateafrica.com/fla2017