Tanzanian flowers threatened by trade war with Kenya
Kenya banned Tanzania’s cut flowers from being exported overseas through Jomo Kenyatta airport on May 10 of 2011. The country cited phytosanitary reasons, demanding an official Pest Risk Analysis of one of the flower farms. That analysis was submitted, but a subsequent quarantine agreement was reportedly not signed by Kenya’s Plant Health Inspectorate Services, resulting in the current deadlock.
Tanzania’s flower sector has been suffering significantly as a result of the quarrel. Its multi-million cut flower industry is highly dependent on the international airport in its neighbor country: in excess of 80 percent of Tanzania’s horticultural export used to be airlifted through Jomo Kenyatta.
Farmers in Tanzania are now desperately awaiting the lifting of the 18 month old ban. Their livelihood hangs in the balance and time and money are simply running out: lucrative contracts with European counterparts have already been terminated.
A number of flower farms in both countries had in fact become accustomed to jointly exporting their produce. That made for a more attractive mix of cut flowers to woo potential clients with, plus helped reduce paper work and cut down on the expensive transportation costs.
The Tanzania Horticultural Association is now opening up talks with airliners from Qatar and Turkey, in an attempt to realize cargo freighting from Kilimanjaro International Airport as an alternative.
“If all goes well, this year at the earliest, we’ll have a cargo freighter to carry 40 tonnes of horticultural products once a week from KIA to overseas markets,” acting general manager Bob Kisamo expectantly states.
Source: The Citizen Tanzania