Other countries that use sea transport have a competitive market advantage on produce having a high weight: value ratio. Thus, the Kenyan government has recommended that the high- valued produce should be given priority for air freight. At the same time, plans are underway to transport horticultural products by sea and to construct cold-storage facilities. Various concessions also have been instituted for air–freight carriers handling horticultural produce, and internal trade regulations are being reviewed continually with an eye to promoting exports.

Availability of planting materials also has been an obstacle, as most seeds have to be imported, and, therefore, new or improved cultivars have not been available to meet local demand. This problem partly is related to the lack of appropriate stock plants and of a proper marketing system for nursery products.

Consumption

While the export sector has continued to develop and expand rapidly, the local market has not kept pace. Production is limited to small-scale farms in the high- and middle- elevation areas, where rainfall is fairly reliable. These areas, however, have little market information, poor infrastructure (such as access roads), few wholesale marketing centers or cold storage facilities, and generally poor marketing practices. To improve this situation, horticultural processing factories recently have been constructed in Kenya’s major production areas. Demand for horticultural products, particularly leafy vegetables, has continued to increase. Local consumption is estimated to grow 5.6% annually through 2000. Increased urbanization and modern housing have increased demand for ornamental and flowers, with a resulting expansion of flower and ornamental plant nurseries.