Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui has raised concerns over the high freight charges which he says are negatively hurting horticulture product exporters.
According to Kinyanjui flower and other horticulture product exporters from Kenya are being forced to pay almost double of what their Ethiopian counterparts are paying.
He said that most exporters are finding it hard to send their flowers to the European market due to the high freight charges.
The Governor added that the situation has been made worse with the coming of the COVID-19 pandemic something he says has forced most flower farms to close shop with some operating on half their workforce.
The high freight charges are in result making Kenyan flower products too expensive in the foreign market compared to Ethiopian flowers.
Kinyanjui called on the national government to to engage the national carrier Kenya Airways with the aim of finding a lasting solution to the problem.
At the same time he said that his administration will be engaging flower farms and companies to asses the extend of any economic damage they might have suffered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nakuru county is home to many flower farms some which have been forced to sack workers and stop operations due to the cancellation of international flights across many countries.
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