"Kenya: "Production down 50% due to cloudy, rainy days"

"Usually, the production decreases a bit after International Women's Day (March 8), but this year it is quite drastic; it dropped by almost 50 percent", says Daniel Moge of Kimman Roses, a Kenyan gypsophila grower. Like the majority of Kenyan farmers, his production is affected by the cloudy and rainy days. All his hopes are pinned on better weather by the end of April, which will enable him to increase his volumes in time for Mother's Day (May 13).

Daniel Moge at the IFTEX 2017 in Nairobi, Kenya.

A week after International Women's Day, the weather started to change; the days became more cloudy and rainy. And it is a bit earlier and more drastic than usual, and since Moge grows his gypsophilas outdoors in the highlands of Kenya he is fully dependent on the weather. "Usually, the production decreases a bit during this time of the year, around 10 to 20 percent, but this year it is 45 to 50 percent."

Small shipments are still leaving the farm to the auction in the Netherlands, and fortunately the prices are OK. "The demand for gypsophila is there, and as almost every grower in Kenya is affected by the current weather conditions, the offer is low. This, in turn, results in satisfying prices."

The farm.

Mother's Day is the next important day for Kimman Roses and Moge cannot wait for the weather to improve. However, when looking at the forecasts, he still has to wait several weeks. "For the coming weeks, a lot of rain is forecast, so we expect the production to decrease even further. But as long as the weather improves by the end of April, we still have time to raise our volumes before Mother's Day."

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Kimman Roses
Daniel Moge
Email: sales@kimmanroses.co.ke
www.kimmanroses.co.ke