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Kenya’s Blooming Flower Industry: Enhancing Global Competitiveness

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Africa’s Competitiveness in the Global Economy

Part of the book series: AIB Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) Series ((AIBSSA))

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Abstract

Although Kenya was the largest producer of flowers in Africa and one of the world’s largest exporters of cut flowers, it faced increased competition from Europe, Latin America, and emerging African markets. Ratification of an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the European Union (EU) and members of the East African Community (EAC) would give African exporters access to European markets that would, in turn, benefit from tariff-free imports. By early 2017, with three EAC member countries left to sign the EPA, internal EAC disagreements caused the ratification process to collapse. With the mid-2017 deadline for ratification approaching, the Kenya Flower Council, an association of independent growers and exporters, was searching for ways to enhance global competitiveness in the face of growing market challenges.

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Notes

  1. 1.

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    Ibid.

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  13. 13.

    Ibid.

  14. 14.

    Samardi. Op. Cit.

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    Kenya, Europe sign trade deal on horticultural exports. (2014). http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Kenya--Europe-sign-trade-deal-on-horticultural-exports-/2558-2486390-4gb3r/index.html (accessed 05/09/2017).

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    Sarmadi. Op Cit.

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  18. 18.

    Ibid.

  19. 19.

    Samardi. Op. Cit.

  20. 20.

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    Horticulture in Kenya. Op. Cit.

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    Ibid.

  23. 23.

    Ibid.

  24. 24.

    Rikken, Op Cit.

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  29. 29.

    Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. Op. Cit.

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    Kenya Flower Council. (2017). Industry Statistics. Op. Cit.

  31. 31.

    Kenya shillings exchanged at approximately 101 shillings to a dollar in 2017.

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    Hortinews. (June 2016). Floriculture: Caring for people and nature. Nairobi: Karuri Ventures Limited.

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  34. 34.

    Kenya Flower Council. Industry Statistics. Op. Cit.

  35. 35.

    Ibid.

  36. 36.

    Personal communication with the Kenya Flower Council representative (Authors)

  37. 37.

    Kenya Flower Council. Floriculture in Kenya. Op. Cit.

  38. 38.

    Muhammad et al. Op. Cit.

  39. 39.

    Rikken. Op. Cit.

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  47. 47.

    Rikken. Op. Cit.

  48. 48.

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  56. 56.

    Kenya Flower Council. (2015). http://kenyaflowercouncil.org/?page_id=69 (accessed 12/06/2016).

  57. 57.

    Ibid.

  58. 58.

    Hortinews. (2016). Op. Cit.

  59. 59.

    Kenya set to host over 5000 flower growers and buyers in one roof for the sixth year in a row. (2017). http://www.flowerweb.com/en/article/195941/Kenya-set-to-host-over-5000-flower-growers-and-buyers-in-one-roof-for-the-sixth-year-in-a-row (accessed 06/16/2017).

  60. 60.

    Hortinews. (2016). Op. Cit.

  61. 61.

    Ibid.

  62. 62.

    Kenya Flower Council. Op. Cit.

  63. 63.

    Hortinews. (2016). Op. Cit.

  64. 64.

    KFC Producer Members Certification Status. (2016). http://kenyaflowercouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/KFC-Certificaton-Register-March-2016-Website.pdf (accessed 06/17/2017).

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  70. 70.

    Tambuzi. (n.d.). http://www.tambuzi.co.ke/ (accessed 09/06/2016).

  71. 71.

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  72. 72.

    What Is Environmental. (2012). The Three P’s of Sustainability. http://whatisenvironmental.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-3-ps-of-sustainability.html (accessed 06/16/2017).

  73. 73.

    Riisgaard, L. (2011). Towards more stringent sustainability standards? Trends in the cut flower industry. Review of African Political Economy, 38(129), 435–453.

  74. 74.

    Leipold, B., & Morgante, F. (2013). Impact of the flower industry on Kenya’s sustainable development. International Public Policy Review, 7(2), 1–31.

  75. 75.

    Ibid.

  76. 76.

    Ibid.

  77. 77.

    Muhammad et al. Op. Cit.

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Adeola, O., Meru, A.K., Kinoti, M.W. (2018). Kenya’s Blooming Flower Industry: Enhancing Global Competitiveness. In: Adeleye, I., Esposito, M. (eds) Africa’s Competitiveness in the Global Economy. AIB Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) Series. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67014-0_13

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