Flower growers plan image booster for 2003

Dec 05, 2002

Next year, Uganda flower growers intend to lift their image in a campaign targeting European buyers.

By Lillian Nalumansi
Next year, Uganda flower growers intend to lift their image in a campaign targeting European buyers.

Uganda Flower Exporters Association (UFEA) Chairman Mahmood Hudda said while the comparative advantage with Uganda’s roses include a longer shelf life and growing all year round, this remains largely unknown to European buyers and consumers.

“Traditionally it has been to sell flowers as a group, but without an image. Our image will be the most important tool to earn growers more revenue. Today, flowers from Kenya earn a lot of revenue, simply because they have an image attached to them. Kenya has built such a reputation that everybody knows the Kenyan flowers. This explains why it has now overtaken Israel as lead exporter of roses to the European Union,” Hudda told The New Vision.

“Of course Uganda did not know its comparative advantage in the past, but now it does and should promote this. As a Ugandan flower, it has a good shelf life and this has been proved by shelf life tests at the auctions. Then we can supply all year round unlike Kenya which has a cold period in June and July, then Zimbabwe and South Africa’s whose is in June, July and August,”

Hudda said the positive image of Uganda grown flowers will be promoted in Europe by local growers through trade fairs, presentations and published articles.

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