00:01Kenya produces billions of flowers every year to export them internationally.
00:06But for the past few weeks, growing heaps of roses have stayed at the flower farms.
00:12The reason? The war in the Middle East has severely disrupted shipments and made some markets unavailable.
00:22For us, Middle East is almost like 20 to 25 percent of our products we used to sell in Middle
00:29East.
00:30Now that, if it continues, the effect will be more than Covid.
00:36The impact will be more than Covid during the Covid period.
00:41Currently, growers are reporting up to $1.4 million in weekly losses.
00:47That number could increase.
00:51We believe that if this goes on, then we are basically looking at more than $1.8 million
01:00that we will lose every week through produce that cannot leave this country because of those disruptions.
01:10The last one to two weeks, I've had about seven growers who are predominantly supplying into the Middle East.
01:18Really, really grounded.
01:20Some of them are actually contemplating downsizing the levels of where we were with Covid.
01:27In terms of production, in terms of workers, in terms of what they will harvest.
01:35So the situation is dire.
01:37For now, growers continue to snip rose stems and arrange bouquets.
01:42But they do so without knowing whether their products will eventually decorate European and Middle Eastern homes.
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