By Jose Chen Lopez Plants require light for optimum growth and development, but the three different aspects of light, quantity, quality and duration, also have
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Horticultural Trade Follows the Overall Political Situation
Horticulture is showing that it is largely stable and optimistic in spite of the many economic and political uncertainties on the markets. Notwithstanding Brexit, the embargo on Russia and terrorism, the flower and plant worlds are continuing to revolve even if not always in the traditional orbits.
The characteristics of the last few years in the global trade continue to exist. The worldwide demand for flowers and plants is concentrated in the European countries, China, Japan and the USA. The Netherlands remain the undisputed number one as the hub for the trade inside the EU. They are responsible for almost 70 % of the export activities of flowers and plants inside the EU. As indicated by the latest figures from EUROSTAT, the trend towards rising imports of flowers and plants into the EU is persisting as far as both the quantity and the value are concerned.
In 2015, a total of 504,952 tonnes (+ 8.2 %) worth Euro 1.68 billion (+ 5.3 %) was imported by the EU. As in the previous years, the cut flowers which account for 78 % of the total imports into the EU are mainly responsible for the rise in the imports. At 5.3 %, their growth in terms of value exactly corresponds to the total growth. The increases in the imports may be attributed almost exclusively to the cut flowers; cut flowers are the sole driving forces behind the growth in the EU’s foreign trade.
Kenya will continue enjoying duty-free and quota-free access for its goods to the European Union (EU) even if neighbouring countries fail to approve the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs).
Josiah Rotich, the chief trade development officer at the Trade ministry, said that Kenya will, however, not enjoy other benefits that come with the EPA until all East African Community (EAC) partners ratify the deal.
Among the benefits that will remain pending is the rules of origin, a provision that allows Kenyan exporters to enjoy dutyfree access to the European market despite their goods being made using raw materials sourced from other countries.
“On the basis of Kenya ratifying the agreement, the country will continue benefiting from the duty-free, quota-free access for as long as we are still trying to sort ourselves out at the EAC level,” Mr Rotich said during a roundtable meeting organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA).
Rose growers have a relatively benign group of insect pests to deal with and so focus most of our pesticidal attention on the fungal disease — powdery mildew — that seem to bedevil us on a yearly basis. However, every few months, we are confronted with a far more virulent fungicidal invader known as downy mildew. Downy mildew is a fairly common term as far as plant diseases go.
Downy mildew disease poses an increasing problem in the horticultural industry causing serious losses in many floricultural and greenhouse crops.Downy mildews present a challenge to growers both because the disease can be present but not obvious; and because they are difficult to control with fungicides once established. The pathogens are very different from Powdery Mildews- they attack different plants under very different environmental conditions, and are controlled by different classes of fungicides. Downy Mildew diseases are caused by a group of fungus-like organisms: they are not true fungi, and are similar to Pythium andPhytophthoraspecies. Most of the Downy mildew fungi are host specific and infect only one plant family.
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Undervalued, neglected resource
Undervalued, the soil has become politically and physically neglected, triggering its degradation due to erosion, compaction, salinization, soil organic matter and nutrient depletion, acidification, pollution and other processes caused by unsustainable land management practices. The irony is that the main culprit of soil degradation is the very thing that most relies on healthy soils: agriculture. Industrial agriculture’s intensive production systems, which rely on the heavy application of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, have depleted soil to the point that we are in danger of losing significant portions of arable land.
It is estimated that on nearly one-third of the earth’s land area, land degradation reduces the productive capacity of agricultural land by eroding topsoil and depleting nutrients resulting in enormous environmental, social and economic costs. Most critically, land degradation reduces soil fertility leading to lower yields.
Mounting violence in Ethiopia has seen many killed, as protests against the government’s economic and human rights policies continues. The tensions at the heart of the crisis are systemic ones, yet what makes the violence particularly worrisome is that foreign investors have become prominent targets. Foreign businesses are being systematically attacked in protest of the government’s development-centric approach, with protesters citing land grabs and unfair competition as key issues.
Foreign investor confidence in Ethiopia has been shaken following nearly a year of unrest, with the country’s government now admitting that many people have died as a result of police crackdowns and a deadly stampede in the country’s Oromia region.
Government estimates claim that around 40,000 workers at foreign companies have been affected by the disruptions; as cement, textile, flower, and agribusiness firms have been attacked. Popular sentiments that the benefits of growth are not being felt by all, combined with worries about foreign goods undercutting local producers has made Ethiopia a very dangerous investment locale.
Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn declared a six-month state of emergency in an attempt to quell the protests by ethnic Oromo and Amhara communities over a land dispute and political marginalisation. The unrest has caused millions of dollars worth of damage to foreign-owned businesses, including flower farms and other agribusinesses. The anti-government protests have dented the view that Ethiopia is a stable partner for investment, according to Emma Gordon, a senior analyst with research firm Verisk Maplecroft. “[Foreign] investors are very concerned with the situation in the country, with some already pulling out,” she said. “They were willing to look past the human rights [abuses] perpetrated by the security services, but it’s difficult to ignore them now.”