OPRL launches sustainable development report

The floriculture sector has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. In early March 2020, retailers reduced their flower orders to prioritise essential goods, flights were grounded and governments banned public gatherings including weddings and limiting funerals. The falling sales took a toll on a sector with very narrow margins. Flowers are an important sector for Kenya, worth $1.15 billion annually and employing 150,000 people directly and an estimated 2 million indirectly, mostly women. The sector has been adversely affected by the manifold impacts of Covid-19, both locally and within market nations. The weight of these impacts is  being felt by overseas producers and their families, including food insecurity, lack of PPE, poor access to hygiene, lack of transport and job insecurity – all exacerbated by low or no wages and non-existent savings.