Kenya’s floral exports are blooming once more

Kenya’s floral exports are blooming once more

Roses rise againKenya's floral exports are blooming once moreCovid-19 wilted them; lockdown love has revived themIVAN FREEMAN runs a 20-hectare rose farm at the foot of Mount Kenya right by the equator, where the soil is fertile and the sun shines all the year round. His business, Uhuru Flowers, exports to some 49 countries, including China, Nigeria and parts of eastern Europe. Some of his buds reach the shop window within four days of being cut.That finely tuned business came to a halt when the pandemic struck. Celebrations were cancelled, florists shut and aeroplanes were grounded. Uhuru halved workers' hours and destroyed 1.2m unsold stems, about a month's harvest. Supply chains have slowly been rebuilt since then, and the 350 staff are back full-time. Now Mr Freeman, like many farmers, is speeding up production, hoping to recoup last year's losses with sales on February 14th. “Valentine's Day for most farms is a huge deal,” he says. “Everyone is feeling positive and ready to take advantage of it.”After the initial disruption, countries have reopened their borders. Florists have gone online and Kenya's flower industry has come up roses. The sector employed more people last month than before covid-19 began to spread,