Held from June 4th to 6th at the Visa Oshwal Center in Nairobi’s Westlands District, this year’s International Floriculture Trade Expo (IFTEX), an event that shines a well-deserved spotlight on the Kenyan floriculture and plant industry, was one that without a doubt, matched its premise as the African continent’s premier flower event. Different institutions represented in the wide flower industry across the globe converged at this fair, and while at it, made their presence known through a varied array of products and services that they offer.
From breeders to growers, logistics providers, flower inputs suppliers, florists, and nearly everyone in the flower value chain, the Oshwal Center was a beehive of floral activities and everything flowers, right from its entrance, for the three days of the event. If you needed anything floral, you’d get it somewhere within the confines of the venue of the fair, after all, IFTEX’s key purpose is to bring the entire global flower community together to network, create connections and partnerships, engage, and even trade.
If you missed it - which you shouldn’t in due course - Thursd (alongside myThursd) was there and brings you what you’d have experienced.
Bringing All Flower Industry Players Under One Roof
Kenya is a floral hotspot known for its array of beautiful roses, summer flowers, and varieties of plants. The East African country’s floriculture industry is one of the best performing anywhere across the world. And the 2024 IFTEX just served to showcase this notion, with hundreds of Kenyan growers, showcasing their floral trade alongside their international peers.
From smallholder summer flower growers based in regions like Nyandarua, Kinangop, Kiambu, or Molo, to large growers found in major flower-production regions like Nanyuki, Nakuru, Naivasha, Eldoret, Timau, Nairobi, Kajiado, Molo, and many others across the country, the IFTEX provided a platform to bring all these together. But still, it was the beauty of the flowers that simply stood out. And the results were delightful, to say the least!
The fair began on a delightful crescendo on June 4th, picking up momentum as the days went by, and peaking on the 6th, leaving many still yearning for more, when it all came to a close. But such is always the case; all good things come in small packages… just so to keep one looking forward to the next time.
Even so, the 2024 IFTEX had it all. Varieties of roses from breeders such as De Ruiter, Georges Delbard, Select Breeding, E.G Hill, Meilland, Genviv, Jan Spek Rozen, United Selections, Kordes Rosen, Interplant Roses, Viking Roses, Nirp International, and others, blended with selections of flowers from other breeders such as Royal Van Zanten, Ball Horticultural Company, Könst Alstroemeria, Dümmen Orange, Schreurs, Icon Selections, Danziger, Murara Plants, and others to create bouquets with an amalgam of floral fragrances, beauty, and flair, bringing out an aura that was just as tantalizing as it was scintillating to experience.
Not to be left behind, growers including Xflora Group, Sian Flowers, Subati Group, Red Lands Roses, Shalimar Fresh, Primarosa, Heritage Flowers, Tambuzi Roses, Karen Roses, Uhuru Flowers, Rosetto, Isinya Roses, PJ Dave Flowers Group, Florenza, Exceptional Africalla, Flora Delight, Kikwetu Flowers, Everflora, Vegpro, Black Tulip Group, Credible Blooms, Sierra, Lenana Flowers, Mount Elgon Orchards and dozens of others, ensured they had enough of these flowers on showcase at the floral event.
Logistics companies like Airflo, Octoflor, Dutch Flower Group (DFG Africa), Q7 Air Cargo, DHL, Azalea Blooms, Herany Flora, and others were also represented just to enable those in attendance to know how to get their flowers to markets outside their regions.
Different Flowers Enthralled Attendees at IFTEX 2024
The fair was not just an ordinary one as different breeders and growers also presented their newest floral offerings. Those in attendance, without a doubt, had a feast for both their eyes and senses as the delightful flowers charmed everyone who perceived them.
Breeder De Ruiter, for instance, had on show varieties including its Dimension series featuring Spray Rose Pink Dimension®, Spray Rose Sweet Dimension®, Spray Rose Special Dimension®, and Rose Juicy Dimension®, alongside others like Rose Emira®, Rose Anne-Laure®, Rose Sorbonne®, Rose Shining Star. The breeder also presented Spray Rose Constellation and Spray Rose Orange Star (both from breeder E.G Hill) and Rose Morning Light and Rose Playa Blanca from breeder Genviv.
Based at Kenyan grower Nini Flowers Ltd in Naivasha, Select Breeding also showcased its numerous varieties including Rose Grand Select, Rose Classic Select, Rose Red Bentley, Rose Twister Select, Rose Everglow Select, and Rose Glamour Select, Rose Blue Lagoon, Rose Firefox, Rose Novastar, and Rose No Limit at the 2024 IFTEX.
Also present, United Selections, which has a partnership with Icon Selections, Könst Alstroemeria, and WAC Breeding, also showcased its varieties including Rose Nova Vita, Rose Premium Class, Rose Pink Wave, and Rose Rise & Shine, among numerous others, while Colombian chrysanthemum breeding company showcased its premium mum varieties.
French breeder Georges Delbard, on the other hand, also had its numerous roses on showcase at the fair, including the Rose Wangari Maathai which resonated quite well with the Kenyan audience at the event. This variety which celebrates the Kenya environmental icon whose name it goes by, was also showcased by Red Lands Roses, its exclusive grower.
Others included smallholder summer flower growers, enhancing a summer flower cultivation trend that is fast gaining a grip in the country. They also showcased their different varieties. For instance, growers like Lenana Flowers had Chrysanthemums on show, while Fenmolt Flowers showcased its Kalanchoes, Asters, Hypericums, and Phlox.
KraniaN Farms, also, had on display numerous of its floral offerings such as khella (Ammi visnaga), Delphiniums, Agapanthus, Gypsophila, Matthiola, Craspedia, and Eryngiums. In contrast, another grower, Unique Blooms Ltd also displayed its numerous summer flower varieties.
And since all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, on one of the fair’s days, IFTEX 2024 capped it off by organizing a fun get-together; throwing a party for all who participated in the event to celebrate the beauty and bounty of the flower industry. Here, networking and other engagements still carried on right into the late hours of the night, amid entertaining music, dance, and food.
Thus, in the organizer's own words, the 2024 edition of IFTEX was successful. It had more exhibitors than ever before, more flower buying, and many more people attending. The flower trade show, according to Dick van Raamsdonk, the CEO of the HPP Exhibitions — IFTEX organizers — was one massive piece of flower trade, a pure floral business platform for the world of cut flowers, where everyone working in the overall floral industry was present. Such was this year’s fair. All eyes are now set on the next event.
