The second edition of the Flower Logistics Africa (FLA) and Perishable Logistics Africa (PLA) was held on the 22nd and 23rd November respectively at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Nairobi. The event brought together players in the horticulture industry value chain including growers, exporters, freight forwarders, shippers, the airlines amongst others.
The conference was structured into panel discussions where various panelists handled different topics as the audience engaged throughout the discussions. Logistics refers to the whole framework whether physical, technical or administrative for the transportation of exports right from the farm to the consumer. Employing better logistics in the industry lead to profitability and reduce wastage.
The theme for the FLA was ‘Enhancing Africa’s flower power through better logistics’. The panel discussions highlighted technology trends in cool chain management, better logistics standards in packaging of flowers amongst others.
The theme for the PLA was creating Africa’s future logistics grid for perishables. The panels highlighted issues on industry collaboration, better logistics leading to improved profitability and no wastage and temperature management as well as transparency in transport from farm to fork.
The Kenya Flower Council Chief Executive Mrs. Jane Ngige said in order to achieve better logistics, information sharing is vital for the value chain to run smoothly hence a good communication strategy should be set to ensure that information is shared among all the actors involved. She added that growers need to take responsibility to ensure they understand the value chain.
Moreover, Government involvement and participation in the industry activities will ensure that better logistics are attained for example; the government should integrate associations to enable farmers access information easily. There is also need for Capacity building mainly done through offering training services to players along the value chain.
Technology is the hallmark in attaining better logistics for instance through the traceability system ensuring that products can be traced right from the point of origin to the point of consumption. Currently, use of data loggers ensures that a good track of events is kept whereas use of electronic programmes greatly reduces paper work.
Communication systems should be digitized so that the access to information is made easier for each of the players along the value chain. Adoption of bar code reading technology which enables the grower to know where the product needs to be stored, how efficiently it is distributed to the warehouse and customers and to track each product that is sold helps in managing inventory information and concurrently increases both productivity and efficiency.
The panellists who streered the discussions included Jane Ngige –KFC CEO, Bernard Oosterom – AIPH, Christo van der Meer – FloraHolland, Guy Symondson – EA Cargolite, Elizabeth Kimani – Maasai Flowers, Chris Mclean- Panalpina Airflo, ; Eric Gysen – Liege Airport, Conaa D’souza- Veg Pro Group, Sarah Wangui-Network Airline Services, Eliud Njenga- Pigeon Blooms, Parith Shah- Silpack, Jeroen van get Hulst, Flowerwatch, Eddy Verbeek – Florensis, Wouter Boeke – Lufthansa Cargo, Dr. Isaac Macharia – Kephis, Peter Musola – Kenya Airways, David Onyango – Flamingo Horticulture, Gladys Maina- Dysa Consulting, amongst others.
Source: Kenya Flower Council

Announcements
Job Offers
- Commercial Manager Spain
- Crop Farm Manager Sharjah
- Commercial Manager Soft Fruits
- Assistant Nursery Manager - Tasmania, Australia
- Tissue Culture Lab / Operations Manager - Victoria, Australia
- Irrigation Manager - Tasmania or Victoria
- Chief Executive Officer Hortifrut IG Berries
- Head of Operations - Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Greenhouse grower / production manager - Brazil
- Experienced International Trade Specialist
"Tweeting Growers"
Top 5 -yesterday
- Ecuador: Protests end after agreement, long-term consequences for economy
- Improvement of water quality is stagnating, what's the problem?
- Dümmen Orange shows full support for Flower Inspiration Days in Malaysia
- Colombian floriculture was awarded 2 gold medals at the AIPH 2022 International Grower of the Year Awards
- This New Zealand family has been breeding great roses since 1947
Top 5 -last week
- Update: Lasso cut fuel prices, protesters lift some blockades, but economy still largely halted
- 30% more yield in gerbera thanks to adding Nano fertilizer
- From supplying 3 months a year to Europe only to supplying worldwide year-round
- Almere residents fear they will pay for Floriade disappointment
- "Our goal is to fully automate horticulture, thereby unburdening growers"
Top 5 -last month
Impression second edition Flower Logistics Africa (FLA) and Perishable Logistics Africa (PLA)
Publication date:
Receive the daily newsletter in your email for free | Click here
Other news in this sector:
- 2022-07-04 Evaluation of gladiolus genotypes in Nepal
- 2022-06-20 Expression of ethylene biosynthesis genes during senescence in Delphinium grandiflorum
- 2022-06-20 Performance of dahlia, genotypes for floral and yield attributes
- 2022-06-15 GreenTech making a comeback
- 2022-06-01 'Sea freight replacing air freight is just a matter of time'
- 2022-05-31 IFTEX kicks off, high transport costs talk of town
- 2022-04-14 King Willem-Alexander opens International horticulture exhibition Floriade Expo 2022
- 2022-03-28 A sneak peek of Terra Nova Nurseries' Kniphofia ‘Rocket Jr.’
- 2022-03-03 Linda Hoogendoorn-Veelenturf to complement board of directors Plantarium | Groen-Direkt
- 2022-02-17 All eyes on Red Bentley
- 2022-02-16 De Ruiter East Africa introduces novelties during open days 2022
- 2022-02-09 Green Retail Events to organize the new Plantarium|GROEN-Direkt fair
- 2022-02-09 100,000 Tulips to Blanket San Francisco’s Union Square on Flower Bulb Day in Honor of International Women’s Day
- 2022-01-06 Plantarium and GROEN-Direkt fairs join forces
- 2021-09-23 Select Breeding presents Red Bentley & new varieties during Open Days
- 2021-09-17 Pro Manager Mastercourse Floriculture returns in January 2022
- 2021-09-15 New edition of international list of plant names has more than 17,000 new names
- 2021-08-13 Terra Nova Nurseries releases new product catalog for 2021-2022
- 2021-06-25 US: Ornamental sweet potatoes named newest Texas Superstar
- 2021-06-04 US (IL): 5-year lavender experiment blooms at Tenderloin Farms