This archive report was first published on 26 August 2019.
Kenya has signed a Sh7 billion specialty tea export deal with China, marking a significant milestone in the country's tea industry.
According to Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri, the deal will see Kenyan farmers export five million kilogrammes of specialty teas to China in the next three years, with the volumes expected to increase to over 30 million kilogrammes annually, valued at Sh40 billion in the next 10 years.
The deal was signed on August 26, 2019, after a delegation from Fuzhou Benny Tea Industry Company and the China National Forest Industry Federation Ecological Tea and Coffee Branch visited Kenya to discuss ways of boosting trade in specialty tea.
As part of the deal, the Chinese buyers will provide a warehousing facility for any Kenyan tea company that wishes to sell their teas in China and assist them in promoting their products.
Mr. Kiunjuri noted that the deal will enhance tea trade and open the Chinese market for more Kenyan products, citing the need for the right kind of machinery and technical expertise to manufacture Kenyan teas that meet Chinese tastes and preferences.
“The desire was born out of the realisation that China is a leading buyer of teas from external origins, while Kenya is a renowned producer of top quality teas,” said Mr. Kiunjuri.
Mr. Karanja Kinyanjui, Chairman of the Purple and Specialty Tea Association of Kenya, echoed the sentiments, saying that the deal will ease the marketing of Kenyan tea in the Asian giant, which has proved difficult in the past.
