Creative floral displays wow visitors at annual flower trade expo

The air at the International Floriculture Trade Expo (IFTEX 2025) in Nairobi is heavy with the scent of roses, jasmine and orchids.

The artistry and masterpieces display of flowers, vibrant blooms stretching in every direction, rows of tulips in flaming reds and buttery yellows and exotic lilies wowed visitors.

However, it is the Dubai-based Black Tulip Fontana that captivated visitors at the just-concluded event with a breathtaking floral installation themed around Kenya’s iconic Big Five - Rhino, Buffalo, Elephant and Leopard, each occupying a corner of the exhibit, while at the centre stood a Lion, undisputed king of the jungle.

The heads of the animals are moulded with carefully selected blooms to recreate their natural colours, giving them a lifelike appearance.

Raymond Urbano, one of the team creative minds behind the wildlife-themed designs, said he was inspired by Kenya’s Big Five, he’s previously seen during his visit to the country.

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“The Big Five are synonymous with Kenya. We brainstormed as a team and resolved to showcase Kenya’s most celebrated wildlife using flowers as a way to honour both the country’s biodiversity and the important economic role wildlife plays through tourism,” he explained.

Ole Engai Growers stall also stood out for both artistry and elegance. The Eldoret-based flowers farm, which was crowned Best Stand Design in the growers’ category drew crowds not just for variety of flowers it showcased but its immersive and thoughtfully executed presentation.

The display was built around smartly arranged bouquets, each adorned with breathtaking variety of blooms.

From the soft clouds of Gypsophila Polar Bear and Gypsophila Xlence to the dramatic spikes of Eryngium Blue Lagoon and the vibrant Kangaroo Paw (Orange and Red) and Gypsophila Grandtastic, capturing the attention of floriculture enthusiasts.

Adding flair to the stall were live models, their heads crowned with elaborate floral headpieces. These moving floral arrangements brought the blooms to life, turning the stall into a dynamic runaway of nature-inspired fashion.

“A lot has been put into coming up with the display stall, including the design and use of models. If you look around, our design and display are stunning. Judges had reason to crown us,” Akshay Haria, one of Ole Engai's directors, explained.

Overall, the flower exhibition blossomed with creativity from all corners. It was not just a trade event, but a celebration of innovation, nature and the enduring connection between flowers, culture and national pride.

But, beneath the award-winning presentation, many exhibitors revealed that they face significant logistical challenges.

Haria explained that freight charges are costly, consuming large portion of their income. “We are asking the government to consider offering subsidies to help cushion the growers,” he said.

Dick van Raamsdonk, organiser of IFTEX said the flower industry in Kenya continues to grow, bigger, better and faster.

“The growth is clearly reflected at the IFTEX 2025. This year, there are 12.5 per cent more growers exhibiting compared to last year, bringing the total number of participating growers to 82. Out of 189 exhibitors from 18 countries worldwide, nearly half are flower growers,” he explained.

The number of visitors has increased, with pre-registered attendees up by 25 per cent, compared to 2024. Pre-registered international buyers are almost 600, an all-time high, representing 65 countries. Raamsdonk says, number of Kenyan local buyers has also grown by 20 percent, to nearly 1800 this year.

Bimal Kantaria, managing director of Elgon Kenya Ltd, says favourable rains and strong markets demands has had a positive impact on Kenyan’s floriculture industry. “We should congratulate our Kenyan flower growers and the country for being a global leader in floriculture,” he says.

However, he explains the industry has been burdened with increased levies and charges from various regulators. He’s appealing to the government to create more competitive business environment.

“We're facing growing competition from Ethiopia and South America. By making us more competitive on the world stage, I think we can improve this industry more,” Kantaria explains.

Kantaria highlights the increasing focus on value addition in the industry, including growing of summer flowers and the roses, as well as bouquets production in Kenya. This is creating more employment opportunities, through bouquet making process.

Mutahi Kagwe, CS for Agriculture and Livestock Development described Kenya’s flower sector as global success story. Kenya is the third-largest exporter of cut-flowers globally, exporting to over 60 countries.

“The industry injects Sh 100 billion annually into our economy and creates over 200,000 direct jobs, and sustains more than a million livelihoods, especially in rural communities, where productive economic opportunities are scarce,” Kagwe says while opening the expo.

He emphasizes, the need for government’s targeted farm input subsidy program to include floriculture value chain.

Kagwe explains, technology and innovations are key to addressing the triple challenges of climate-change, natural resources degradation, declining soil health and lack of youth actively engaged in agriculture.

He assured the government ministries and agencies are actively engaged in discussion find solutions to the high air-freight charges and issues related to Unique Consignment Reference (UCR) number.

Prof. Theophilus Mutui, Managing Director, Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis) says through inspection, certification, pest risk analysis, laboratory diagnostics and surveillance, the agency facilitates market access for our products while maintaining biosecurity within our borders.

“In 2024 alone, Kephis inspected and facilitated exports of over 573,773 fresh produce consignments consisting of 240,000 tons of fresh cut flowers, 98,000 tons of fresh fruits and 130,000 tons of fresh vegetables and herbs with a total value of about Sh 136 billion,” he says.

Prof Mutui appreciates the Kenya Missions abroad and their counterparts especially in the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Russia, the US, the Middle East, India and Africa.

He says, “These regions represent over 90percent of our cut flower export market, with the EU alone absorbing over 70percent of our floriculture exports, valued at over Sh 120 billion annually (according to the 2024 Horticultural Crops Directorate (HCD) report.”

He assures, the industry continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience in emerging challenges such as evolving phytosanitary requirements and changing market dynamics.

Dr Bruno Linyiru, Director General of Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) explains that much attention is being paid to those agricultural sub-sectors that have high potential for poverty reduction and employment creation through industrialization.

He says horticulture industry is among the leading sub-sectors especially in agricultural commodity exports. 

“In 2024, Kenya’s horticulture exports were valued at Sh 136 billion. This consisted of cut flowers accounting for 53 percent, Vegetables 17percent and fruits 30percent by value of total horticultural exports,” he explains.