Uganda Tops At Fair

Nov 26, 2002

COMPETITION has thrown Dutch rose growers out of the small stemmed roses market leaving it to Uganda and Zimbabwe.

Local Roses Branded Special
By Lillian Nalumansi

COMPETITION has thrown Dutch rose growers out of the small stemmed roses market leaving it to Uganda and Zimbabwe.
Local flower growers who attended the world’s biggest flower exhibition, the NTV Hortifair held in Amsterdam from November 6th to November 9th 2002 with over 1000 exhibitors returned home motivated to expand.
“Buyers told us that our flowers are now being recognised as a unique type of product on the European market. They said what makes Uganda’s roses special, is their good quality all year round. We ship them as buds but they open up as full flowers once they get to their final destination,” said Steve New, the Horticultural Advisor with Uganda’s Investment In Developing Export Agriculture Project (IDEA), in an interview.
“They also have a good vase life of up to 15 days and we are now competitive in costs since airfreight costs came down.
Since Dutch growers have now given up on growing small stemmed roses, our competition is now focused with African countries especially Zimbabwe which grows similar sizes,” New said at IDEA offices on Prince Charles Drive, Kololo.
He said buyers advised local flower growers to double their current production since the market for their product has expanded. Uganda exports 35cm-70cm stemmed roses sold as bouquets in supermarkets in Europe.
Uganda Flower Exporters Association Chairman Mahmood Hudda said local growers are to diversify into other tropical flowers as advised by European buyers.
This is already taking place with gerbera, solidago and anthuriam being grown.
New said the flower industry will contribute US$25m to Uganda’s foreign exchange earnings this year.
“There has been a 30% in flower exports this year,” New said.
“About 5000 tonnes of roses, chrysanthemums and other potted plants will have been exported out of Uganda by the end of this year,” New further said.
Local growers were advised to promote the good points Uganda has scored to their end users through distributing promotional materials and making presentations in the supermarkets where consumers buy their flowers.
Only one flower farm in Uganda exhibited its product at the annual show held in November. Ends

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