Kenya Floriculture Market Analysis
The Kenya Floriculture Market size is estimated at USD 1.15 billion in 2025, and is expected to reach USD 1.48 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 5.2% during the forecast period (2025-2030).
- Kenya's economy is heavily reliant on agriculture. The floriculture sub-sector is one of the country's leading foreign exchange earners. The floral industry in Kenya has 5,000 hectares dedicated to its cultivation contributing 1.3% to the country's GDP. The flowers grown mainly in Kenya are roses, carnations, alstroemeria, gypsophila, lilies eryngiums, arabicum, hypericum, and statice. In addition to this, the major production areas are around Lake Naivasha, Mt. Kenya, Nairobi, Thika, Kiambu, Athi River, Kitale, Nakuru, Kericho, Nyandarua, Trans Nzoia, Uasin Gishu and Eastern Kenya. The favourable climatic conditions are increasing the production of flowers in the country, which drives the market's growth.
- Additionally, the industry employs a vast number of people in the country. According to the Ethical Trading Organization, the floriculture business provides direct employment opportunities to about 150,000 people, the majority are women. Delphinium, Limoniu, and Helianthus are the most popular growing facilities for roses in Kenya exporting rose-cut flowers to the European Union (EU). Along with this, some of the most common technologies utilized in the entire cold chain of Kenyan flower farming include drip irrigation, fertigation systems, glasshouse ventilation systems, net shading, pre-cooling, cold storage facilities, artificial lightning, and refrigerated trucks. Therefore, the use of improved technologies produces good-quality flowers, thereby contributing to market growth in the forecast period.
- Furthermore, the support from the associations and the public sector is one of the major drivers of the market. For instance, the Kenya Flower Council is a voluntary association of independent growers and exporters of cut flowers and ornamentals that aim to foster responsible and safe production of cut flowers in Kenya along with encouraging farmer's welfare. Moreover, the launch of new varieties of flowers in the market supports market growth. In 2022, Sian Flowers introduced two new spray roses to the market, the Spray Rose Lady of the Dawn and the Spray Rose Emerald Queen. These two modern garden-shaped types are only available to Sian.
Kenya Floriculture Market Trends
Rising Export Potential of Floral Products
- The floriculture industry in Kenya is well-developed. The country's favorable conditions, including fertile soils and ample sunlight, make it a strategic hub for exporting high-quality flowers to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Similarly, the well-established support service sector, global distribution capabilities from Mombasa, and a willingness to adopt innovations and technologies have positioned the Kenyan floriculture industry for success and growth. Kenyan flowers are exported to over 60 nations, with popular flowers, being roses, carnations, lilies, leaf cuttings, and decorative plants, are primarily. In Kenya, most of the floriculture products are produced to meet the needs of exports.
- Additionally, Kenya is one of the major exporters of cut flowers worldwide. This sector in Kenya represents the third-largest foreign exchange earner. Additionally, the country sells 70 percent of its flowers to European countries. The country also supplies more than 35 percent of the fresh-cut roses and other flowers to the European Union. The main export markets include the Netherlands, followed by the UAE, United Kingdom, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Germany, and Norway, with an export share of 39.2%, 15.0%, 15.2%, 7.9%, 6.4%, 4.5% and 3.9%, respectively. Similar to this, approximately half of all exported flowers from Kenya are being sold in Dutch auctions.
- Moreover, In 2022, the SEA Initiative was launched to facilitate the export of high-quality flowers from Kenya to Europe using sea freight. This method provides significant carrying capacity, leading to cost savings and a reduced carbon footprint compared to air freight, thus benefiting the export market. Roses have the potential for expansion, owing to reasons such as large production acreage, stable production throughout the year, and the fact that cultivators have a high standard of SOP for producing high-quality, along with high demand from international markets. For instance, the export value of cut roses increased from USD 460,467 thousand in 2022 to USD 470,117 thousand in 2023. Therefore, the rising production coupled with the favourable export capabilities are driving the exports of flowers thereby driving the market growth during the forecast period.
Understand The Key Trends Shaping This Market
Download PDF
Increasing Support from Government and Public Sectors
The flower industry is well developed in Kenya, with farmers using the latest technologies such as greenhouse technology, micro irrigation systems, etc., which will benefit production. Along with this, there are about 220 flower farms in Kenya, about 70 of which are located near Lake Naivasha. Thus, the floriculture industry earns a good amount of foreign exchange. So, the Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture is focusing on driving the adoption of floriculture through various policies, regulations, and operational directions. The government along with the private sectors are providing credit facilities to support the huge amount in cultivation, along with favourable policies to increase production. For instance, in December 2022 the credit offered by private sector banks to agriculture was 119.1 billion KSH (USD 900 million) which grew to 145.9 billion KSH (USD 1,100 million) in December 2023, according to the Central Bank of Kenya. This attracts foreign investments, which increase production and thereby increase the exports of floriculture products.
In addition, the government of Kenya is prioritizing the creation of smallholder farmers' aggregation and logistics facilities and investment in their market infrastructure. Similar to this, the government is focused on increasing trade relationships to support the exports thereby aiding the sector growth in the coming days. For instance, in 2022, Kenya, as a part of its efforts to diversify exports, established a direct link between farmers and the United Arab Emirates and the other five Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries by removing tariffs and logistics constraints.
Furthermore, the market is implementing advanced technologies and infrastructures for floriculture. In Kenya, the different ministries favouring floriculture are Water and Irrigation, Health, Environment, and Natural Resources, Local Government, Cooperative Development and Marketing, Trade, and Regional Development Authorities. The other public sectors such as the Kenya Flower Council (KFC) play a vital role in promoting and maintaining the reputation of Kenya's flowers both locally and internationally. The development, and implementation of certification programs such as Fairtrade, KS:1758, Kenya Flower Council's Flowers and Ornamental Sustainability Standard (F.O.S.S), also known as KFC Silver, and Rainforest Alliance, are becoming essential for empowering customers and promoting sustainable floriculture. Therefore, the initiatives from the government, along with the favourable credit facilities from the private sector, are contributing to the market's growth.
Get Analysis on Important Geographic Markets
Download PDF
Kenya Floriculture Market News
- January 2024: The Dutch Flower Group (DFG) opened the Packed at Source Africa (PASA) facility in Kenya. This facility makes bouquets that will be composed directly from the source, offering many opportunities for international customers, local employment and Dutch Flower Group companies and also increasing the efficiency and further sustainability of the flower sector.
- July 2023: Kenya hosted the International Floriculture Trade Expo (IFTEX) to showcase its thriving floriculture industry. These efforts are made to promote sustainability, gender inclusion, and certification programs in the industry, ensuring a transparent and responsible supply chain for the future.
- June 2023: Chrysal Africa, the leading supplier of post-harvest treatments and flower care products, inaugurated its cutting-edge testing facility in partnership with the Kenya Flower Council, and the Dutch Embassy. This is made to evolve sea freight of flowers from Kenya in the coming years.
Kenya Floriculture Industry Segmentation
Floriculture is a type of horticulture practice that primarily focuses on cultivating flowering and ornamental plants for gardens and commercial use. The Kenyan floriculture market is segmented by type of flower into cut flowers, cuttings, and other types of flowers. In contrast, cut flowers are further segmented into roses, carnations, lilies, hypericum, gypsophila, and other cut flowers. The report includes the production (volume), consumption (volume and value), import (volume and value), export (volume and value), and price trend analysis of the above-mentioned segments. The report offers market size and forecasts regarding value (USD) and volume (metric tons) for all the above segments.
| Types of Flowers | Cut Flowers | Roses | Carnations |
| Lilies | |||
| Hypericum | |||
| Gypsophila | |||
| Other Cut Flowers | |||
| Cuttings | |||
| Other Types of Flowers |
Need A Different Region or Segment?
Customize Now
Kenya Floriculture Market Research Faqs
How big is the Kenya Floriculture Market?
The Kenya Floriculture Market size is expected to reach USD 1.15 billion in 2025 and grow at a CAGR of 5.20% to reach USD 1.48 billion by 2030.
What is the current Kenya Floriculture Market size?
In 2025, the Kenya Floriculture Market size is expected to reach USD 1.15 billion.
What years does this Kenya Floriculture Market cover, and what was the market size in 2024?
In 2024, the Kenya Floriculture Market size was estimated at USD 1.09 billion. The report covers the Kenya Floriculture Market historical market size for years: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The report also forecasts the Kenya Floriculture Market size for years: 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029 and 2030.
Our Best Selling Reports
Kenya Floriculture Industry Report
Statistics for the 2025 Kenya Floriculture market share, size and revenue growth rate, created by Mordor Intelligence™ Industry Reports. Kenya Floriculture analysis includes a market forecast outlook for 2025 to 2030 and historical overview. Get a sample of this industry analysis as a free report PDF download.
