People visit the International Floriculture Trade Expo in Nairobi, Kenya, on Thursday.WANG GUANSEN/XINHUA

　　Once hailed as the next great frontier for Kenyan floriculture, the United States market is now viewed by many industry players as a lost cause, as protectionist tariffs have shut the door on the opportunity.

　　At this year's International Floriculture Trade Expo, or IFTEX, which concluded on Thursday in Nairobi, Kenya, the air was filled with the usual burst of color and scent.

　　However, beneath the surface, a growing sense of frustration and resignation was emerging among local and international exhibitors who were eyeing the US flower market.

　　Ray Liu, a Chinese exhibitor from Weifang Sainpoly Greenhouse Equipment Company, attended the expo for the first time. His company, based in eastern China's Shandong province, supplies greenhouse equipment to flower growers across Africa, including Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana and Nigeria. Recent developments in US trade policy have cast a shadow over his expectations.

　　“Sales have significantly declined in countries that export flowers to the US,“ Liu said, citing the 10 percent tariffs imposed by Washington.

　　For exporters like Afrex, a major player in Kenya and South Africa, the US dream has grown prohibitively expensive.

　　Oscar Biutah, Afrex's head of sales, pointed out that it costs us up to $8.25 to transport one kilogram of flowers to the US compared to $1.67 to the Middle East.

　　“If the US tariff remains, that cost could rise to $14.30. It's simply unsustainable for companies like ours, which ship up to 5 metric tons a week,“ he said.

　　That harsh reality recently led to the cancellation of a highly anticipated flower exhibition in Miami, a move that dealt a psychological blow to Kenyan exhibitors.