The manufacture of flowers in Kenya flourishes, but the biggest challenge no longer grows flowers – it is to find space on planes to ship them to the market. The severe shortage of air cargo capacity leaves farmers with millions of fresh flowers and there is no way to transport them, which leads to waste, high costs and instability in the supply chain.
“At the stage of November, we were throwing about 20 percent of our production on the fertilizer heap,” said Wellom van Den Hogene, Managing Director of FZCO International Fluorus, during the 2025 global shipping summit in Austand.
“The production of flowers in Western Europe is declining.” Willum van Den Hogene said: “This is something that is going on an annual basis.”
“Also, it is a success story-the common production of flowers in Kenya, in particular. It is a great thing. New functions. People build greenhouses. It’s very successful.”
But success in production is only half of the story – the transfer of flowers is still effectively, and on a large scale is still a major challenge.
“I know that there are many people who build new flowers in Kenya,” Van Den Hogene added.
“So I know that there is a request that will come more than Kenya to Europe. Simply put, the truth is that doing this is the way we do today, with planes … I have sincere doubts.”
Kenya has made a strong reputation as one of the most prominent sources of flowers in the world, as Joomo Kenyatta International Airport was from Nairobi as a major center. However, with the increase in the output of new farms, industrial leaders are concerned about whether the air cargo capacity will be able to support the increasing demand.
The doubts of Van De Hogen about the current system stems from the fact that flower exports are still highly dependent on the conditions of air weapons, a sector that has faced problems in capabilities, high costs and competition from other types of shipping such as e -commerce.
This feeling echoed Gerawin Van der Holst, the owner and founder of Flowerwatch, who referred to the challenges in the chain chain logs, especially once the flowers reach Europe.
“Kenya is updated. Ethiopia is very good, in terms of facilities. Van der Holst said:” In Europe, we are left behind. “
“I think this is the place where there is a huge opportunity for the first drivers to upgrade their cold rooms.”
This highlights the decisive weakness in the supply chain – while Kenya keeps pace with global demand, infrastructure in destination markets such as Europe needs to be investigated and modernized to maintain efficiency and freshness.
The problem is not only related to the presence of sufficient trips – it is also about ensuring that it maintains its quality from the farm to the final destination. The well -maintained cold chain is very important, but as Van der Holst pointed out, some European handling facilities have left.
“There is an enormous opportunity to come to the first drivers to upgrade their cold rooms,” he pointed out. “If you want to keep up with the increasing quantities of flowers coming from Kenya, the infrastructure needs to be evolve.”
Meanwhile, Eileen Van Den Berg, the Royal Flora Holland, stressed the importance of cooperation through the supply chain to ensure a smooth logistical process from the farm to the consumer.
While the air cargo remains the dominant situation of flower exports, some in the industry are looking for alternative transport methods, including marine shipping. This option was impossible for fresh flowers. However, the new temperature REEFer containers made it an applicable alternative, especially for the longer flowers.
“The sea shipments were on the agenda twenty years ago, but for the first time ever, we are in an interesting price gap between air charge and marine shipping,” said Van der Holst.
The first main test of the Kenya Shipping Survival of Flowers has already started. In 2023, the country shipped approximately 200 hobbies by sea – up to 5 to 8 percent of the total exports. However, marine shipping is not a solution that suits everyone. While some flowers can withstand a 20 -day crossing, others require faster delivery.
“Marine shipping will find its right place alongside a travel shipment. Van der Holst said:” It will not be replaced, but we will see a greater peak and basin – the high demand for marine shipping at Christmas and Valentine’s Day, but less in other months. “
