Kenya Flower Council (KFC) is a voluntary association of independent growers and exporters of cutflowers and ornamentals, formed in 1996, with the aim of fostering responsible and safe production of cut flowers in Kenya with due consideration of workers welfare and protection of the environment.
Against this background the KFC has become a common platform for industry representation, promotion and compliance to pertinent local and international standards, deemed necessary to secure markets.
KFC administers compliance through an internationally accredited KFC Certification Scheme on good agricultural practice, sustainability, social accountability, hygiene health and safety, capacity building, environmental protection and conservation, adherence to which is the backbone of all KFC activities.
The KFC Certification Scheme and Quality Management Systems is accredited by the South African National Accreditation Systems (SANAS), as a Certification Body (C49), in accordance with ISO/IEC 17065.
In order to remain relevant, the Certification Scheme which is a living document stays abreast with industry dynamics. Benchmarking the KFC Certification Scheme to other codes such as GlobalGap, Fair Flowers Fair Plants (FFP), Tescos Nurture, KS- 1758 in addition to 23 different Kenya Government statutes, provides an opportunity to conduct “Combi” audits as a measure of effective and efficient service to members.
It also embraces the principles of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention, International Code of Conduct (ICC), Ethical Trade Initiatives (ETI) and the Horticulture Ethical Business Initiatives.
As of April 2016, KFC had a producer membership of 96 flower farms situated throughout the country. The current KFC membership represents about 70% of the flowers exported from Kenya. Associate membership stands at 69 members representing major Cut Flower Auctions and distributors in UK, Holland, Switzerland, Germany and Kenya. Associate members are involved in the flower sector through flower imports, provision of farm inputs and other affiliated services.
Kenya’s horticultural sector currently ranks as one of the economy’s fastest growing industries, the third largest foreign exchange earner after tourism and tea, a trend that saw the industry rise to approximately 40% for the past ten years with total exports reaching 220,000 tonnes in 2014.
The history of the export of fresh horticultural produce from Kenya dates back to the period before independence when Kenya, then a British colony, was required to contribute to the running of the budget for East Africa. After independence the industry continued to flourish with exports starting to go to Europe and thus opening up the potential for Kenya in the export market.
Overall exports to the European market started to increase in the 1970’s with the Netherlands being the largest importer, taking a 71 per cent share by volume, with most distributed through the auction system. Next came the United Kingdom on 20 per cent, followed by Germany on 6 per cent. Success can be attributed to Kenya’s ability to provide high quality products on a year-round basis, backed by daily airfreight arrivals to key destinations.
KFC is a member of:
- Global Gap
- Floriculture Sustainability Initiative (FSI)
- Union Fleurs
- COLEACP
- Kenya Horticultural Council (KHC)
- Horticulture Council of Africa (HCA)
- Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA)
- Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM)
- Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE)
- National Taskforce on Horticulture.
THE VISION
“To be the lead organization in the provision of representational, self-regulation and promotion services for the floriculture industry in Kenya.”
STRATEGY
“Active participation in the formulation and implementation of policies governing sustainable development of the floriculture sector”.
THE MISSION
“To promote economic, social and political interests of the floriculture industry through active participation in the determination and implementation of policies governing sustainable development of the sector”.
