Kilimanjaro starts weekly flower flights

Written by EABW CORRESPONDENT
Monday, 19 January 2009
DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA - The Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA) and its newly formed growers-owned logistics firm, TAHA Fresh Handling Limited (TFHL), have announced the successful inaugural flight of a Boeing 747-200 cargo aircraft from Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA).



The US government through USAID was fundamental in focusing TAHA and the government of Tanzania on various initiatives into a reality.

Through the USAID support initiative, diverse stakeholders and industry professionals came together under the auspices of the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) managed Tanzania Air Freight Programme (TAP).

In an interview with EABW recently, the Executive Director for TAHA, Jacqueline Mkindi said the flight took off on December 7, 2008 loaded with flowers, cuttings and vegetables from Tanzania to markets in Europe.

"This is the first of what will be a weekly service from JRO to Ostend in Belgium operated by MK Airlines. The second flight also took off in the night of Saturday December 13, 2008 uplifting almost 30 tonnes of horticultural produce," she said.


She said the route by MK cargo plane has a viable entry to Amsterdam and other destinations including USA, UK and Asia. "It's really competitive route, which starts from Belgium to South Africa en-route Entebbe and Kilimanjaro. Ostend in Belgium is a hub whereby cargo is lifted to other destinations," she said.

Mkindi said the development will facilitate growth of the horticulture industry but currently TAHA is making efforts to make sure the cargo plane lands at KIA three times a week.

"We are organizing ourselves to make sure the plane is coming at KIA three times a week because our growers still transport their flowers through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA)," she said.According to Mkindi, the capacity of income generation of Kenya's horticultural is US$1.7 billion against Tanzania's earnings of US$140 million. Kenya outshines Tanzania in horticultural earnings since Kenya started the business a long time ago.

The outgoing US ambassador to Tanzania Mark Green; the USAID Mission Director, Robert Cunnane; the Vice President of the MK Airlines and other stakeholders held very constructive discussions with the growers and exporters of horticultural products at TAHA premises on December 11, 2008.

Ambassador Green pointed out that the access to reliable cargo space will create great vegetable and horticulture export opportunities for thousands of small and medium holder growers.

TAHA represents growers, exporters, processors and other service providers in the horticultural industry and seeks to promote the industry for its growth and sustainability.

Two years ago during its launching, Qatar Airways announced its eagerness to start a direct flight from the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) to Doha specifically for transporting cut-flowers and passengers.