Kenya is seeking direct fresh flower exports to the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf countries as it seeks to diversify exports.
The government is holding bilateral talks with Gulf countries -Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman— to remove tariffs and logistics constraints to increase export volumes.
Kenya is eyeing the increased demand from the gulf region with over 54 million population, available cold storage facilities and direct flights, especially between Kenya and UAE.
Currently, over 70% of the Kenya’s flowers are exported to the Netherlands with only less than 1% into Gulf countries.
Kenya is the world’s third-largest exporter of cut flowers, and the country sells more than 70% of its flowers to Europe. The horticultural sector is Kenya’s third-largest foreign exchange earner. Horticulture sector earnings are the third-largest contributors of foreign exchange in Kenya, after diaspora remittances and income from tourism.
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