Floriculture sector players decry rising cost of production

The Agricultural Employers Association (AEA) has decried the rising cost of production noting that it was adversely affecting floriculture farming in the country.

The association pointed to the escalating cost of fertilizer as one of the major challenges currently facing the flower sector which was yet to fully recover from Covid-19.

According to association Chief Executive Officer Wesley Siele, farmers’ profit margins were shrinking by the month, a move that was affecting workers welfare.

He challenged the government to intervene over the fertilizer prices and lack of cargo flight and capacity in the floriculture sector.

“The cost of production has continued to rise by the day and we are calling for more support from the government as this sector employs thousands,” he said.

Siele was speaking in Naivasha during the launch of the Dignified Opportunities nurtured through Trade and Sustainability (DONUTs) programme that is sponsored by Fair Trade Africa.

“Flower farmers who are certified by Fair trade are compliant with the law and this makes our work of monitoring and auditing them easy,” he said.

The acting Executive Directive of Fair Trade Africa Oscar Ochieng said that Kenya was among countries that would benefit from 13m Euros toward supporting farmers and workers in the flowers and tea sector.

“The DONUT project will go towards addressing workers’ rights, improving their working conditions and getting decent income,” he said.

He was full of praise for farmers who were certified by fair trade noting that all of them had complied with minimum wages.

“Those farmers who are certified by Fair Trade easily access the market and they are audited frequently to make sure that workers’ rights are observed and they have decent wages,” he said.

On her part, Dr Bettina Von Reden from Fair Trade in Germany said that the programme was meant to address workers living and working conditions.

She noted that the organization was working in 14 countries in the continent adding that their main objective was raising awareness among consumers.

The project officer World Fair Trade Organization Obed Tum admitted that workers living and working conditions mainly in the flower sector had not been fully addressed.

He was however optimistic that this would be addressed by the ongoing programme as he pointed to wages as one of the critical areas.

“The issue of wages has been a thorny one for a long time and am sure that this will be addressed under this project that seeks to champion workers’ rights,” he said.