Namibian President Hage Geingob on his recent three-day state visit to Kenya not only committed to strengthen diplomatic ties with that country but also took time to tour some of the flourishing Kenyan commercial flower farms.
The demand for Kenya flowers all over the world is rising, and the East African country is the third largest exporter of cut flowers globally and accounts for around 35 percent of all flower sales in the European Union. Kenya’s roses, carnations and summer flowers are also popular in Russia and the U.S.
Some of the reasons Kenya excels in the production of cut flowers include that the Kenyan climate is perfect for growing a wide range of top-quality produce and because Kenya lies at the equator, where there is direct sunshine for most of the year, causing flower stems to grow straight naturally – a highly desirable feature in the flower market.
Days after Namibia concluded the second land conference early October, Geingob called on the revival of the once flourishing Ongombo West which used to produce flowers for the EU markets before it was run into the ground by resettled local farmers.