Flower Farms Push Horticultural Exports to $500m

May 28 , 2022

The export of horticultural products brought in half a billion dollars over the first three quarters of the financial year. It represents a 15pc growth from revenues over the same period last year. Fresh-cut flowers account for the major share, with flower farms bringing in over 420 million dollars. Fruits and vegetables make up the balance. There are 72 flower farms in operation, 64 of which are foreign-owned. They sell their products primarily to markets in the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, the UK, and Norway. Though fresh-cut flowers are the country's third most valuable agricultural export commodity, after coffee and khat, industry players say the central bank's forex retention policy and a change to the threshold price for the export of fresh-cut flowers are hampering operations.