Kenya is now the number three exporting country in the global air transported flower trade, the International Air Transport Association (IATA – the global representative body for the airline industry) has reported. And Ethiopia was now in fourth place.

This was against the background of a dramatic increase in the global flower trade over the period from 2003 to 2024, the association highlighted. In 2003, the global air-transported flower trade had been worth $852-million. By 2024, it had increased by four times, to $3.7-billion.

In 2003, the main exporting country had been Colombia, with a share of 50.2%, followed by Ecuador at 16.2% and the Netherlands at 8.9%. In fourth place was Kenya, at 8.6%. The rest of the world accounted for 16%.

Last year, South America retained its dominant position in the trade, with Colombia still in first place, but its share had reduced, to 42.3%. Ecuador remained second, but its share had increased to 26.1%. Then came Kenya, with a share that had nearly doubled, to 16.1%. And then came Ethiopia, with a share of 5.5%. The rest of the world was responsible for 10.3%. The Netherlands no longer featured on its own, as a flower exporting country.

“Two key factors contributed to this shift,” explained IATA. “First, trade agreements reduced tariffs and barriers, increasing exports and opening markets for developing nations. Second, developments in air cargo, including improved refrigeration and logistics, ensured that flowers remained fresh and enabled seamless global distribution of large volumes on time. Air transportation has greatly facilitated the trade in all kinds of perishable goods, including flowers. These evolutions have prompted new specialisations in the function of emerging comparative advantages, leading to greater market concentration.”

In terms of the major importing countries, in 2003 these had been the US (66.3%), the UK (12.1%) and Germany (4.4%), with the rest of the world taking 17.2%. While, last year, the US remained the number one importer, its share had declined to 53.6%. The Netherlands was in second place, at 31.2%, but the Netherlands had become a main centre for the redistribution of flower exports. The UK was now third, with 5.5%. The rest of the world accounted for 9.4%.