Kenya’s flower industry is bleeding, but the biggest challenge no longer grows the flowers – it finds space on aircraft to send it to the market. A severe air freight shortage leaves producers with millions of fresh flowers and no way to transport them, leading to waste, rising costs and instability in the supply chain.
“At one point in November, we dumped about 20 percent of our production on the compost heap,” said Willum van den Hoogen, managing director of the Flairius International FZCO, during the World Cargo Summit 2025 in East.
“The production of flowers in Western Europe is decreasing. This is a year -on -year year on year, ”said Willum van den Hoogen.
‘And also, it is a success story-especially the co-production of flowers in Kenya is growing. It’s great. New job. People build greenhouses. It is extremely successful. “
But success in production is only half the story – transporting flowers efficiently and on scale remains a major challenge.
“I know that there are many people who build new flower farms in Kenya,” Van den Hoogen added.
“So I know that the question will come from Kenya to Europe. And simply, the fact is that it does as we do today, with aircraft … I have sincere doubts. “
Kenya has built a strong reputation as one of the world’s leading flowers for flowers, with Jomo Kenyatta International Airport of Nairobi as an important center. However, with new farms increasing production, the industry leaders are concerned about whether air freight capacity can support the increasing demand.
Van den Hoogen’s doubts about the current system stem from the fact that the export of flowers still rely on aircraft, a sector that faces problems with capacity, rising costs and competition from other freight types such as e-commerce.
This sentiment was reflected by Jeroen van der Hulst, owner and founder of Flowerwatch, who pointed out the challenges in cold chain logistics, especially as soon as flowers arrive in Europe.
‘Kenya is up to date. Ethiopia is pretty good, facility. And here in Europe we stay behind, ”Van der Hulst said.
“I think that’s where there’s a huge opportunity for the first relatives to upgrade their cold room facilities.”
It highlights a critical weakness in the supply chain – while Kenya is keeping up with the global demand, the infrastructure in destination markets such as Europe needs investment and modernization to maintain efficiency and freshness.
The issue is not just about having enough flights – it is also about ensuring that flowers maintain their quality from farm to final destination. A well -interviewed cold chain is critical, but as Van der Hulst pointed out, some European handling facilities have fallen behind.
“There is a huge opportunity for the first relatives to upgrade their cold room facilities,” he notes. “If you want to keep up with the increasing amount of flowers coming from Kenya, infrastructure must develop.”
Meanwhile, Eline van den Berg, expert on the supply chain at Royal Flora Holland, highlights the importance of working together across the supply chain to ensure a seamless logistical process from farm to consumer.
While air freight remains the dominant mode for flower exports, some in the industry look at alternative transport methods, including seafaring. This option was once considered impossible for fresh flowers. However, new temperature-controlled Reefer holders have made it a viable alternative, especially for flowers with a longer duration.
“Sea Freight has been on the agenda for twenty years, but for the first time we are in an interesting price gap between air freight and seafaring,” says Van der Hulst.
Kenya’s first big test for the load of the Ocean for flowers has already begun. In 2023, the country sent almost 200 containers of flowers by sea – which is 5 to 8 percent of the total export calculation. However, SEA freight is not a solution for one size pass. While some flowers may withstand a 20-day transport, others need faster delivery.
“Sea load will find its rightful place next to the air freight. It will not replace it, but we will see larger peaks and troughs – the question of sea freight around Christmas and Valentine’s Day, but in other months less, ”says Van der Hulst.
