Workers packaging flowers at Oserian Flowers in Naivasha. [File, Standard] Kenyan floriculture industry, a jewel in the country’s agricultural crown, is once again staring down a policy decision that threatens to stifle its growth, erode competitiveness and punish it for its success. The imposition of the new 2 per cent Standards Levy by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs), applied uniformly to “manufacturers,” including flower exporters is misguided, disproportionate and economically damaging. Kenya’s flower industry is not in the business of manufacturing but of agriculture. Its products are grown, not fabricated. Yet, by a flawed interpretation of “value addition,” floriculture exporters…