The Kenya Flower Council (KFC) said the country could double its flower production if the government accords the sector full support. The council identified failure to remit VAT refunds running into billions of shillings and lack of incentives to farmers as among the major gaps in the sector.
This came as farmers through the council expressed confidence that they would export more flowers ahead of Valentine's despite the cold weather occasioned by the ongoing rains. The Council chief executive Clement Tulezi said despite the sector being among the major foreign exchange earners and job creators after tea, the government has continued to ignore it.
“Every now and then, the government is introducing new taxes or directives, and this does not augur well with investors in terms of planning,” he said. Tulezi said that, unlike tea, coffee, and sugarcane farmers who receive subsidies from the government every year, horticulture farmers have never benefited from such incentives.
“For years, the horticulture sector, which is one of the leading foreign exchange earners, has been ignored by the present and previous regime, thus stagnating growth,” he said.
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