IFTEX 2024 was held at the Oshwal Center in Nairobi between 4 and 6 June 2024. Now in its 11th edition, with over 3000 attendances and almost 200 exhibitors representing all segments of the flower industry from suppliers and logistics providers to breeders and growers, it was the largest and most successful event to date.
MPS is proud of its inaugural participation as an exhibitor. Its booth, beautifully adorned with MPS-certified flowers kindly donated by Flora Delight, Mzurrie Flowers, Karen Roses and Red Lands Roses was well attended, providing a useful meeting point to reconnect with existing participants and for insightful discussions on sustainability for growers considering the MPS standards and services.
The week kicked off on Monday 3rd June 2024 with a conference on “Sustainability Advancements in the Global Cut Flower Industry: What next for Kenya’s Producers?” organised by Union Fleurs, Floriculture Sustainability Initiative (FSI) and the Kenya Flower Council (KFC). MPS Area Manager for Africa, Arthij van der Veer, was invited to speak about the power of grower data in measuring progress towards sustainability as well as the importance of life cycle analysis (LCA) and the developments made in foot-printing. Arthij shared the stage with Tony Bruggink (FSI), Disha Copreaux (Red Lands Roses), Richard Fernandes (Marginpar), Karen Rono (Maersk) and Christine Chesaro (Horticultural Crops Directorate) in a lively and engaging panel discussion highlighting successes and challenges around sustainability in the industry.
During the remainder of IFTEX Kenya 2024, MPS took the opportunity to update its visitors on the latest version of the HortiFootprint Calculator which will be fully FloriPEFCR-compliant in the near future and to fill them in on all the new exciting developments related to data insights available through the MPS on-line customer portal. We awarded Certificates of Appreciation, recognising membership with MPS of over 25 years, to Sian Flowers, Utee Estate – Black Tulip Flowers Group, Waridi Farm and Penta Flowers. Also, we held high level meetings with the Kenya Flower Council (KFC), the Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) and the Tanzania Horticulture Association (TAHA) focusing on nurturing cooperation to support growers in their sustainability efforts. We were delighted to see and meet representatives of its partner-growers, not only from Kenya, but from all over Africa and beyond including from Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia and India.
Once the IFTEX Kenya 2024 was concluded, the MPS team headed to Tanzania to visit the MPS growers around Arusha and Moshi including Fides TZ Dummen Orange, Multiflower, Dekker Chrysanten, Vasso Agroventures, Oasis Young Plants, Bondeni, Michiru and Korfovouni Seedpro. The Tanzania visits were a good opportunity to share developments, discuss challenges and learn from each other.
We remain grateful to all our partners and look forward to IFTEX Kenya 2025!
EHPEA & MPS: Mr Tewodros Zewdie & Mr Mikyas Bekele
Karen Roses: Mrs Rebecca Kotut & Mr Robert Kotut
Kenya Flower Council: Mr Clement Tulezi
Sian Flowers 25 years recognition: Mrs Elizabeth Kimani, Mr Chris Kulei and Mr Peter Cheserem
Utee Estate – Black Tulip Flowers 25 years recognition: Mr Praveen Singh & Mr Nirzar Jundre
