The political unrest in Kenya is restricting the supply of flowers to key European markets, according to a member of the Dutch auctions .
A spokeswoman at FloraHolland, the leading Dutch auction house, said that between 5-10 per cent of its normal supplies from Kenya were not reaching the airport due to on-going rioting in the East African country.
"That means the flowers are not reaching the auctions and the major European markets," she said.
"So far, it is not an enormous impact on the auction but buyers will be keeping a close eye on the situation in coming weeks."
FloraHolland depends greatly on supplies from Kenya, with 40 per cent of all its supplies being sourced from abroad.
The coming weeks are a key trading period for flower exporters with Valentine’s Day next month and Mother’s Day in March. The UK’s Flowers and Plants Association said Kenya is an important supplier to the UK for Mother’s Day as it offers a wide variety of rose colours.
However, UK supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s and Marks and Spencer, which buy Fairtrade tea, coffee and vegetables from Kenya, have revealed that any disruptions in supply are yet to be seen, but added that the situation was closely being monitored.
Supermarket giant Asda added in an emailed statement that it hoped to continue trading with Kenyan suppliers .
"Many families depend on the revenue generated from supplying products to Asda and it would be inappropriate to cease trading," the statement said.
"We will continue to monitor the situation on an ongoing basis and will review if there is further deterioration."
Tim Blackburn, managing director of Finlay’s Flowers and Flamingo Europe, a leading Kenyan exporter to Europe, said the firm’s flower supply had not been disrupted but it has been unable to transport tea from its Kericho plantations to Mombasa .
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Flower Exports To European Markets Disrupted By Kenya Violence
Wed, 16 Jan 2008
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