Kenyan flower growers are seeking to replace the existing Lome Convention trade protocol with the EU with a new agreement.
Under the Lome Convention, the EU provides aid and extends trade and tariff preference to African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. The Kenyan Flower Council’s chief executive officer, Jane Ngige, has said that the convention should be amended in order to secure market access for Kenya and to offer a level playing field.
She said there was a need to implement a trade protocol that was compatible with World Trade Organisation principles: “The Lome Convention gives us preferential treatment but we want the same terms as other WTO member countries.”
Ms Ngige said she hopes the new protocol will be signed by November this year and that she does not expect objections from European growers: “The beauty of it is that we have a competitive edge and we are certain we can still produce much more efficiently than most Europeans can, especially because of energy use.”
