SMP 2131 Sustainable flower transport from Kenya (BO-69-002-037)

Despite the past investments in sea transportation this has not yet become common practice in the transport of roses from Kenya to The Netherlands.

One of the main reasons for this are the defects frequently observed in the leaves, once the flowers are put in the vase at destination. These leaf defects are expressed as black or brown lesions that within a few days develop into completely desiccated leaves that fall off the flowering stem. In addition, defects on flower petals may also occur after long term transport in specific varieties. Apart from roses, leaf quality problems are also encountered in the long distance sea transport of other cut flowers such as chrysanthemum and alstroemeria, but to a lesser extent. The common assumption is that the leaf and flower quality problems in roses at least partly originate in the cultivation. The incidence is different between the different rose varieties and also within the same variety between different rose producers. Especially these leaf and petal quality problems are a major bottleneck in the transition to sea transport and will eventually decrease the competitive strength of Kenyan producers/exporters.