The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic caused worldwide lockdowns and subsequent traveling restriction by internal governments in most countries , that disrupted supplying chains across the globe and gravely affect the floriculture industry in Kenya in many shipway . The flow from March through May has the peak holiday time of year for the flower growers that overlay International Women ’s Day , Easter , and Mother ’s Day . need for flowers dropped as bloom shops around the globe had shut , due to lockdown and cancellations of result & wedding ceremony . Unavailability of flights , lower requirement , and trifling export of fresh cutting bloom forced flush growers to destroy billion of stem at the farm which result in a immense exit for the growers . The farms have accept some serious activeness to outlast in this turbulency time . To control the cost farms have deducted the pay , reduced the workforce , used minimum spraying , and fertigation , put some plants and miscellanea on rest by cutting back to block off production of the efflorescence for a few weeks till the demand break up up .
By Shabista Khan
As many countries are lifting the lockdowns and easing the restrictions and demand for the flowers are picking up in some destination , but challenge of the Kenyan floriculture industry do not seem to be at informality for the coming month .
Some of the measures taken by the farm to curb the price have bear upon the yield Hz and had a severe wallop on the tone of flowers . Lower workforce resulted in less attention on the flower plants and minimum atomizer and fertigation make plant fragile and susceptible to pest and disease , the current rainy and wet weather condition have made the position even worse on the quality of some flowers . blossom are in short supply as compare to the current demand .
Labor shortageFarms are unable to get all their employee back because of carry on travel restrictions and between provinces . Social distancing restrictions forced farms to cultivate with a circumscribed number of doer . The existing nationwide curfew also qualify the number of hours employees can be hire per day .
product planning issuesAs the lockdowns are lifted in many destination and export has resumed , due to calibre outcome and ‘ cut back ’ of the flowers , the efflorescence supply is less and there is a shortage in the market . It will take sentence for the farms to be able to work at full capacity . This will make it unmanageable for them to plan production and meet requirement .
shortfall of planting materialGrowers usually add some fresh plant and varieties in their compartmentalization every year to establish at the exhibition to attract emptor . Also , farm examine current assortment uprooted and replanted nonperforming miscellany ( due to age of crop or securities industry demand ) with fresh industrial plant and varieties . Due to the unavailability of flight of stairs and proper transportation channel farms have not received planting material that will further tot up to the famine of flowers in the securities industry in the long run .
The quality of the blossom is always a serious factor for the clients , but a supplying chain disruption due to time lag in shipments , and the timber of flowers is affected when it is received by the guest . Good timbre and consistency in supply and reasonable pricing is necessary to keep the product attractive and for the wholesaler ’s and florist . Flower exporters are systematically feel the pressure to systematically supply good caliber flowers to avoid any claims by vendee as during this prison term of COVID-19 quality is more crucial than ever .
This has been an unprecedented time of year in the flower manufacture in Kenya that will have a massive impingement on growers and the country ’s economy long into the future tense , strategies have had to be look back to selection modal value to keep raiser afloat until the remnant of this and past .
Source : www.flowerandeverything.com
