“Markets are evolving and many farms are diversifying and the need to take competitive advantage of offering something else other than roses is arising”, explains Moses Ndegwa of Kenyan rose farm AAA Growers. Therefore, they started to look beyond roses and decided to start growing chrysanthemums and some more summer flowers. The first commercial sales of chrysanthemums took place in September with satisfying results. Currently, we are expanding the chrysanthemum acreage and are adding more crops. At the same time, they continue to expand their rose production area.
Millicent Ngesa and Moses Ndegwa at the IFTF 2023 in Vijfhuizen, the Netherlands.
Positive reactions
The first trials took place early this year and they were already very pleased with the very first results “The flowers were simply perfect, exactly what our clients need. ”So, what makes them so special? Ndegwa: “The bunches are heavy and they meet volumetric weights when packing so cost effective.” And the reactions are very positive. “They like the vibrant color selections, the quality, heavy blooms and the long vase life. Every client we have sampled wants them and that shows how important and fascinating our product is.” Currently, their chrysanthemums are shipped to Europe, the Middle East and Asia and some volumes also in Russia.
Doubling acreage
They started on a small area, but according to Ndegwa, every client they sampled wanted big volumes, so they quickly expanded the chrysanthemum production acreage. Currently, they are growing 10 chrysanthemum varieties on 1ha and are planning to gradually expand it to 2 ha+ and at the same time increase the number of varieties.
More crops
Besides chrysanthemums, AAA Growers also added Eucalyptus Baby Blue and will start growing Limonium, Lepidium and Blueperium in January 2024.
Roses still important
According to Ndegwa, the roses are still very important to AAA Growers. The new crops, for example, are not replacing any of their roses. They are even expanding their high altitude rose farm named Bellissima by 13h and are expecting the first production for Valentine’s Day on new area expansion. “This expansion is mainly for our variety Highness, which is in high demand because of its big head size and long vase life.” Also, a plan is underway to open a new farm (Chest Nut Roses, which is 2200 meters above sea level), early next year and will launch the brand of the roses that are grown in this farm at the IFTEX 2024, taking place in Nairobi, in June 2024.
For more information:
Moses Ndegwa
AAA Growers
Email: [email protected]
www.aaagrowers.co.ke