If there’s a perfect place to grow roses, it may well be at the foot of Mount Meru in Tanzania, East Africa.

Mount Meru Farms, at around 1,400 meters above sea level, is at the ideal intersection of latitude and altitude for producing roses. The farm is within reach of three international airports for easy export. They ship over 60 million stems annually to 25 different countries worldwide. Tanzania’s relative political stability has further ensured the farm’s prosperity.


Technology, Integrated Pest Management, and Good Working Conditions

Just as important as the farm’s location, however, is the work that goes on inside its greenhouses every day. “We spray as little as we can,” says Joyce Ngowi, a Grading Hall Manager interviewed on a YouTube video about the farm. Farm workers use integrated pest management to fight pests and use fewer chemical sprays. Instead, for example, an organic compound known as Silwet is used. It is a form of silicon derived from organic materials.

The farm’s irrigation system uses computerized fertigation. Greenhouse climate control is also computerized to provide the best growing conditions. The company’s more than 250 employees receive free meals, work fair hours, and are provided with protective equipment and medical care.


Mount Meru uses the GGN label for Certified Floriculture, which shows that they stand for certified, responsible farming and transparency. The label is designed to help guide consumers in their day-to-day grocery shopping. Transparency is at the heart of the GGN label – it connects the consumer to the roots of their products. As a mission-driven organization passionate about the cause of protecting people, animals, and the environment, GLOBALG.A.P., the organization behind the GGN label, strives to build a more sustainable future that serves every generation on this planet. Find out more at https://floriculture.ggn.org/Flori/Index

Horticulture is a sector that is affected heavily by the COVID-19 crisis as it is labor intensive and produces perishable goods. Furthermore, Floriculture is hit even harder as the products are considered "non-essential," and so are readily dropped by consumers as soon as incomes are squeezed. We hope things will improve soon for all those working in the Floriculture industry and that the industry can bounce back from these tough times.

Mount Meru Flowers Ltd., Tanzania
GGN 4049928899873
www.mount-meru-flowers.com

Mount Meru Flowers is a proud participant of the 2019 Photo Campaign GLOBALG.A.P. Around the World.