Kenya: IFTEX fastest growing flower trade show goes intercontinental
According to show organizer and HPP president Dick Van Raamsdonk, IFTEX 2014, has given the Kenya flower industry a different face, with renewed attention from all over the world especially from buyers, who are travelling to Nairobi to see flowers from all over the world under one roof in Africa.
Two months before the show, it is already full and the organizers have had to create additional space to accommodate the increasing number of exhibitors.
The biggest representation in the show will be the Kenyan flower growers, but growers from other flower producing nations will present their products during this exciting international flower trade event. Growers from Ethiopia, Uganda, South Africa, Tanzania and other important flower producing countries such as Ecuador and Colombia, will also be showcasing their products at the Visa Shree Oshwal Center in Nairobi come June 4 to 6, 2014.
The growing internationalization of this event has made it more of a continental focal point for flower producers in Africa. The show is expected to meet the international participation goal by 2016, and has grown into a top Kenya flowers brand, strengthening the country's position as a leader in global markets, while enhancing the image of Nairobi as the home from where 40 per cent of the flowers sold in Europe originate.
The show has been promoted heavily in the US and Russia where Kenya is trying to attract a new crop of buyers with a steadily rising sales. A significant number of buyers are coming from this market as they seek fresh selections from Africa. Eastern European buyers - Japan, Russia and the Middle East are coming in droves to see flowers from their traditional suppliers Colombia, Ecuador and Ethiopia in Nairobi.
Source: Hortinews.co.ke / IFTEX Newsletter