Ethiopia's Floriculture Tests the Waters

Ethiopia’s flower exporters are experimenting with a bold shift: moving part of their highly perishable product away from air cargo and onto container vessels.

In a logistics sector where freshness and time-to-market define value, the move to ocean freight might seem counterintuitive. But for a growing number of producers, the calculation is changing—driven by pest control challenges, carbon pressures, and cost.

Ethiopian flowers are often grown to meet tight delivery windows—Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and peak wedding seasons, where speed trumps all. But for routine or lower-margin shipments, sea freight is gaining ground.

The industry’s challenge now is to balance sustainability goals with speed, quality assurance, and phytosanitary compliance.

Trial by sea

In December 2023, Ethiopian growers completed their first successful sea trial shipment of flowers to Europe. In April 2025, another consolidated load—20 pallets carrying over 188,000 stems—was trucked from Bishoftu to Djibouti, then shipped via Jeddah to Valencia by Mediterranean Shipping Company.

The shift isn’t wholesale, and air cargo still dominates the flower trade. But the reasons for testing alternatives are stacking up.

False codling moth

European authorities have increased phytosanitary inspections of Ethiopian flower shipments due to repeated detections of false codling moth (Thaumatotibia leucotreta)—a pest with major implications for EU agriculture. The heightened scrutiny has led to delayed clearances, rejected consignments, and tighter restrictions, especially for roses.

Some Ethiopian growers believe that ocean freight could become part of the solution.

“The pest is not well-adapted to low temperatures,” the Ministry of Agriculture’s Horticulture Export Coordinator Mekonnen Solomon noted in a recent analysis. “Stable exposure to sub-2°C conditions over a 3–4 week sea voyage can disrupt its life cycle in ways air transport can’t.”

Where air cargo offers speed, it does not provide the extended cold storage conditions that ocean transport naturally delivers.

At the same time, European buyers—especially large retail chains—are scrutinising the carbon footprint of imported flowers. With the EU pushing for a 55 percent reduction in emissions by 2030 and net-zero by 2050, airfreight’s emissions profile is becoming a liability for exporters.

Studies suggest air cargo can emit 10 to 50 times more CO2 per ton-kilometre than ocean freight. While jet fuel is highly refined and energy-dense, it comes with a high environmental and financial cost. Shipping, by contrast, uses heavier, less refined fuels—but thanks to scale, its per-unit emissions are far lower.

For bulk shipments, ocean’s advantage is amplified. The largest cargo vessels can move 24,000+ containers per voyage. A Boeing 747 freighter, in contrast, carries the equivalent of just over one container’s volume.

Cost and consistency

The economics of ocean freight are also compelling. “The lower cost of marine fuel contributes to the overall operating savings,” Solomon explained. “With jet fuel, freight charges are inevitably higher.”

Additionally, flower logistics by air come with temperature volatility—brief but potentially damaging spikes during ground handling or loading. Sea freight, although slower, maintains stable cold-chain conditions that keep blooms dormant until arrival.

That said, shipping flowers by sea is not without limitations. The product must be pre-cooled and packed to withstand longer transit. Schedules must align with retail demand. And the longer lead times require robust forecasting.

Read the original article at Air Cargo Weekly