East African countries, which supply about one third of cut-flowers to Europe, have been urged to tackle challenges facing the region's horticultural industry by cutting airfreight cost and diversifying products and markets.

Experts attending Hortec 2006, Africa's largest horticulture trade expo and conference held between Wednesday and Friday in Nairobi, said the coming years' anticipated performance of horticulture in the region is "obscured" due to hiking airfreight costs, increasing stringent standards set by target markets and the unexpected drought hitting Africa at present.

East Africa is the world's major flower producer with Kenya alone exporting horticultural products worth around 400 million U. S. dollars annually and commanding over 25 percent of the total flower sales into Europe.

Agricultural experts worried that Kenya may lose key EU market to Egypt, Morocco and other emerging producers as the country's lands cost, taxes and airfreight prices keep going up.

Other east African countries, such as Rwanda, Uganda, Ethiopia and Tanzania, are still new to the sector and less competitive.

Paul Guenette, vice-president for Sub-Sahara Africa for Agricultural Cooperative Development International and Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance, said that keys for success of east African horticulture should include diversifying product categories, finding new ways for transport and building strong strategic alliances with partners in the supply chain.

Source: Xinhua