Mineral Resources, Energy, Chemical & Electronics - Business overview
Kenyatta International Conference Centre
Kenya is an equatorial nation situated in East Africa. Here in Kenya, roses and other horticultural products are widely cultivated and the country has become one of the world's main suppliers of cut flowers.
Many of the flowers cultivated in Kenya and other East African countries are imported into Japan. It is likely that some of our readers have purchased these flowers without even being aware of it. The Sumitomo Corporation Group has made significant contributions to the development of the Kenyan flower industry through the supply of agricultural chemicals.
Due to the wide variation in temperature between day and night, African flowers are characterized by bright colors and tough stems.
On a global scale, the African market for agricultural chemicals is nominal, with the region accounting for only several percent of the approximately 400 billion dollars' worth of worldwide sales. Despite this, Sumitomo Corporation has been engaged in the agricultural chemicals business in Africa since taking part in the Japanese Government's grant aid program for increased food production, which began in the 1970s. Under this scheme, pesticides, chemical fertilizers and large agricultural machinery were extended to African countries to help them establish independent farming operations. Although many Japanese companies participated in the project, a lot of them withdrew when pesticide subsidies were terminated in 2001. Sumitomo Corporation, which had already achieved good results, opted instead to stay and seek further expansion.
High quality yet highly priced Japanese agricultural chemicals, however, were not a good match for local food farmers, who needed to produce vast quantities of agricultural products cheaply. This meant the Company encountered a series of difficulties in attempting to expand sales. After much effort trying to develop a customer base of buyers who needed high-quality agricultural chemicals, we eventually arrived at the cut flower market.
Because the sun shines steadily throughout the year, flowers can be grown without using heated greenhouses, which are a source of CO2 emissions
For flowers to be cultivated successfully, effective agricultural chemicals are required as even small blemishes can greatly reduce commercial value. In contrast, slight pest damage will not reduce the selling prices of rice and wheat. At the same time, user safety and low environmental impacts are prerequisites for agricultural chemicals. Japanese agricultural chemicals satisfy both requirements of effectiveness and safety.
Flowers grown in Kenya, situated on the equator, grow straight and therefore have a high commercial value. With the average annual temperature being between 15 to 20°C, growers can harvest roses four times a year. Just as large volumes of goods can be manufactured in factories, in Kenya it is possible to produce large quantities of quality flowers.
