Business Daily (Nairobi)
Dominique Patton
12 February 2008
Kenyan flower growers are set to reap the benefits of Fairtrade certification this week, as more Valentine's shoppers in Europe opt for ethically grown roses.
Sales of Fairtrade flowers in the UK, the second biggest Fairtrade market in Europe, hit an estimated 72 million stems during 2007, according to the Fairtrade Foundation, up from 47 million the prior year. They had already almost trebled between 2005 and 2006.
The rose, the UK's best-selling flower and most popular choice for Valentine's Day, was the first flower to be marketed under the Fairtrade label in 2004 and one supplier estimates that up to a fifth of all roses sold in the UK are now Fairtrade certified.
Almost all of these are grown in Kenya, putting the country's Fairtrade farms in a strong position this month. In February, flower sales tend to rise by about five times the monthly average.
Kenya is considered the largest supplier of Fairtrade flowers to Europe, accounting for between 50-60 per cent of total volumes. It now has 17 Fairtrade certified farms, according to the Fairtrade Labelling Organisations group in Germany, more than any other flower growing country.
The rise in popularity of Fairtrade flowers has allowed Kenya to shrug off concerns about environmental damage done when air-freighting flowers to Europe.
While supermarkets are increasingly stocking and promoting locally grown flowers, these tend to be different varieties from those grown in Kenya, and are unlikely to hurt Kenyan sales, says Ian Finlayson of World Flowers, the leading packer of Fairtrade flowers in the UK.
Supermarkets are also keen to promote strong corporate social responsibility, he says. "Fairtrade fits in very much with their CSR policies of helping the developing world."
Consumers are also increasingly looking to support developing economies too. A recent survey of more than 100,000 UK consumers commissioned by the Co-op grocery chain found that fair-trade was much more important than climate change to most people.
Only four per cent said environmental impact was a criteria in their purchasing habits compared with 14 per cent who looked out for Fairtrade labels.
To carry the Fairtrade label, flower farms and producers of other crops must meet basic labour and environmental standards and must commit to ongoing improvements which are regularly monitored by FLO-CERT, an independent Fairtrade certification body.
There is rising demand for Fairtrade flowers in other markets too. Klaus Voss, manager of German supplier Omniflora, which is owned by Finlay's, says that "a combination of the Fairtrade idea and the perception of quality" is behind strong growth of the product.
The market for Fairtrade flowers in the US, currently a long way behind Europe, is starting up too.
It has strong potential for growth but would likely be supplied by the 10 Fairtrade farms in Ecuador rather than those in Kenya.
Other countries offering Fairtrade flowers include Columbia, Tanzania, India, Sri Lanka and Egypt.
A UK-based group of companies supporting Fairtrade, called the Ethical Trading Initiative, says growing support for the movement is leading to real benefits for Kenyan workers, especially those on larger farms.
"One striking impact of ETI members' efforts has been better conditions for women workers - for example, many farms now have sexual harassment policies in place as well as gender committees, with adequate breaks for breastfeeding mothers and light duties for pregnant women."
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