Hundreds of farm workers are on the verge of losing their jobs again as several European nations go back to lockdowns to curb the second wave of Covid-19.
Britain, Spain and France are some of the EU nations that have gone into lockdown, thus blocking sale of non-essential products.
The lockdowns are expected to stretch into December. The EU is Kenya’s principal market for horticultural produce, with the United Kingdom, Netherlands and France being the main markets.
Kenya Flower Council chief executive officer Clement Tulezi said more than 200,000 people are directly employed on the flower farms, while over a million benefit indirectly.
“The industry was adversely affected by the first lockdown in Europe between March and August. Demand for flowers dropped leading to destruction of millions of stems and job losses,” said Tulezi.
He noted the second lockdown in Europe will erode gains made by the sub-sector. Traders have already reduced their orders and prices at the auction have dropped by 20 per cent. He asked the government to engage their EU counterparts to safeguard local jobs.
Brian Okinda // #SeedsOfGold