Preparations for Kenya’s 11th Iftex show are well underway

Left to right: Isaac Macharia, Principal Inspector, plant pathologist at Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service, KEPHIS, Dick Van Raamsdonk, General Director, HPP Exhibitions, Clement Tulezi, CEO, Kenya Flower Council and Christine Chesaro, Director, Horticultural Crop Directorate during the media briefing on the status of the Kenyan flower industry.

Kenya is once again set to host the global flower trade fraternity in Nairobi from June 4 to 6, 2024, further cementing the country’s growing dominance in the sector.

Speaking to the press, the International Flower Trade Exhibition (IFTEX) organiser, Dick van Raamsdonk, said the leading flower flower-producing country in Africa deserves credit for having braved challenges in a volatile business environment. Despite the challenges, the country continues producing the widest range of new varieties, a development that has kept buyers returning to Nairobi every year for the past ten years to meet producers in search of the newest in cut flowers. “The flower industry is like fashion. Consumers are always looking for something new—colours, shapes, names, stem lengths and more,” he said.

Van Raamsdonk said in Nairobi that owing to Kenya’s advanced flower production and logistics value chain, geographical position astride the Equator, good tropical weather, different altitudes, and availability of labour, among other factors, the country produces the highest range of quality flowers throughout the year, making the nation a key supplier of flowers globally.

This year’s IFTEX will be the 11th edition since the show opened its doors in 2012, and it comes at a time when Kenya is gaining traction, not just as a producer but as a flower logistics hub with large distribution chains establishing bouquet-making hubs under a concept called “packed at source’’, taking root.

This means value-addition is now expanding in the country, creating more jobs and transferring technology. “This is an indication Kenya will, in future, be the major flower business hub,” said Van Raamsdonk.

Kenya Flower Council is partnering with IFTEX. The flower exhibition offers the industry a platform to showcase the latest innovations that have placed Kenya in a vantage position. According to Clement Tulezi, Chief Executive Officer of Kenya Flower Council: “Innovations and sustainability are the factors keeping our flowers ahead, and the interest in IFTEX from all corners of the world is an indicator of better times for Kenya.”

Kenya supplies 40 per cent of European flowers, and other statistics indicate that four stems are from Kenya for every ten stems in a bouquet.

As a buyer’s show, IFTEX attracts buyers keen to meet growers in their country of origin to cement relationships. Flowers are an emotional business at all levels. From workers on the farms to the vases in homes, flowers evoke emotions. “When buyers see many flowers on display under one roof, it gives them wider choices for their consumers, keeping the industry moving,” added Van Raamsdonk.

Breeders are releasing new varieties, and IFTEX 2024 will welcome buyers from more than 75 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, the US, and South and Central America.

Responding to evolving travel preferences, IFTEX has shifted its schedule from Wednesday to Friday to commence on Tuesday and conclude on Thursday. This adjustment reflects extensive research into the changing habits of the international trade show attendees, who increasingly prefer returning home before the weekend, exploring flower farms post-show, and sightseeing Kenya’s great tourist attractions, including the Nairobi National Park.