Page 15 - STAT November 2022 for Magzter

interest in sea freight for flower
transport stems from the fact that air
freight capacity was becoming very
scarce through the pandemic.
In the past ten years a lot of knowledge
has been gained and that there is now a
general feeling that most of the practical
requirements of sea freight have been
mapped out and that people more or less
know what is needed to properly prepare
and execute a sea freight shipment. A few
interviewees with experience in sea freight
indicated that sea freight can theoretically
be planned well and the result is a better
quality than air freight because of less
temperature fluctuations.
While there is high optimism among
industry stakeholders about the potential
benefits of ocean freight there are a
number of practical and commercial
concerns. The biggest one relates to
logistics such as the relatively low arrival
frequency and irregular and unpredictable
arrival times. Other concerns relate more
to commercial considerations such as a
strong 'day fresh' culture in the flower
trade and demand for flexibility.
Kenyan shippers expect that the
overall share of sea freight of flowers from
Kenya reaches 25 to 50 per cent in five
years. While traders in the florist channel
estimated a range from 0 to a maximum of

Main Concerns

One of the biggest challenges of ocean freight, according to importers, is the
Low arrival frequency
relatively low arrival frequency of ocean freight shipments.
Products arriving irregularly and at unpredictable times present a major challenge.
Risk of delays
Some mentioned the increased risk of delays due to stopovers in the Middle East.
Required cold store Sea freight entails a great need to be able to store product. This means high costs
facilities and in many cases importers do not yet have the required cooling facilities

Particularly in the florist channel, traders remain cautious about the possibilities of
Culture of ‘day fresh’
sea freight. There is a strong 'day fresh' culture in the flower trade.
Customers demand flexibility, especially in the florist channel. There is a generally
Demand for flexibility demand for smaller and last-minute orders and European wholesalers tend to
move along with daily market sentiment.
Sea freight requires adjustments in the range of flowers grown in East Africa. Most
Assortment fit for sea interviewees do not see that breeders are marketing new varieties specifically for
freight their sea freight attributes. Also, if sea freight takes off, it would narrow the range
of products. This is not in line with the wishes of the florist segment.
Adjusting business A further concern is how to develop and integrate sea freight procedures in
processes common business processes.
There is a great dependence on the efforts of the grower for sea freight to work.
Need for support to growers Several importers and traders stated the need for coordination, support and
monitoring, particularly in case of growers that are new to sea freight logistics.
Source: Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2022 LUA 13