No cause for alarm, say flower exporters

Ms Peris Adhiambo grades flowers at the de Ruiter East Africa show-house in Naivasha, Nakuru County, on August 11, 2015. Dr Pritam Panesar, a director of Flower Business Park in Naivasha, said there was no cause for alarm as Kenya is not entirely dependent on the island nation market. PHOTO | SULEIMAN MBATIAH | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • He said the flowers being shipped to Britain were only a result of the relationship Kenya had with its colonial masters.

Britain’s exit from the European Union will have little or no impact on Kenya’s floriculture industry, a top investor in the sector has said.

Dr Pritam Panesar, a director of Flower Business Park in Naivasha, said there was no cause for alarm as Kenya is not entirely dependent on the island nation market.

“Britain is the most recent buyer of our flowers and even the quantity is very small compared to major buyers such as the Netherlands and Germany,” he said.

He said the flowers being shipped to Britain were only a result of the relationship Kenya had with its colonial masters.

The chairman of the Kenya National Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Nakuru County, Mr Kamau Njuguna, said his organisation was still monitoring events and will be holding a meeting to determine the effects of the pullout.

“We have horticulture exporters in our organisation and we don’t know what would happen next if Britain terminates its membership from EU,” said Mr Njuguna.