This archive report was first published on 27 August 2019.
Published on August 27, 2019, Kenya has signed a Sh. 7 billion deal with China to export specialty teas. This move is expected to boost Kenya's tea exports and increase revenue.
The agreement between Kenya and China will see the East African country export five million kilogrammes of specialty teas to China, with the export volumes expected to increase to over 30 million kilogrammes annually. This is estimated to be worth Sh. 40 billion in the next 10 years.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri said 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.
Kenya's tea-growing region in the Eastern highlands has seen a shift towards growing purple tea, with the family-run Njeru Industries planting 150 acres with purple tea in 2012. The company's managing director, Henry Njeru, said diversification was a good strategy to level out earnings.
Njeru's company produced 10,000 kg of purple tea last year and expects to harvest 15,000 kg this year, selling for $30 per kg. The product is also finding local demand, with buyers from Japan to the United States.
