The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) conducted a survey from January 13-15, 2021 to assess the extent of recovery in the flower sector, particularly after the resurgence of the second wave of COVID-19 globally and discovery of new variants of the virus in some countries. This was a follow-up to the November 2020 Survey that was carried out after the reopening of the economies and the continued implementation of the Government measures to mitigate the adverse impact of the pandemic.
The Key takeaways from the Flower Farms Survey in January 2021 included:
- All responding flower farms indicated that they have been operating since August, compared to only 56 percent in April and May when the farms closed or scaled back operations due to reduced demand from export markets and constrained cargo space.
- Employment in flower farms has recovered and exceeded the pre-COVID levels. It averaged 113 percent relative to the February 2020 level in January 2021 up from 87 percent and 69 percent in November and April, respectively, relative to the February 2020 levels.
- Production and export levels of flowers have improved to an average of 90 percent and 95 percent, respectively, of pre-COVID-19 levels (February 2020).
- Export orders for flowers remain strong despite the uncertainty surrounding the second wave of COVID-19 infections and emergence of new variants of the virus. Average orders are about 97 percent of the normal (pre-COVID-19) levels in the next four months (February to May 2021). However, some farms are concerned about possible cancellation of orders in case of stringent lockdowns due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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