Kenya Specialty Teas:Kenya is set to start exporting specialty teas worth sh. 7 billion to China. This follows an agreement between Kenya and China, which will now see Kenya export five million kilogrammes of specialty teas to China.
According to Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri, the export volumes will now increase to over 30 million kilogrammes annually, with an estimated value of Sh. 40 billion in the next 10 years.
“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. The Chinese buyers will provide a warehousing facility for any Kenyan tea company that would wish to sell their teas in China and assist them in promoting their products,” said Kiunjuri. He spoke when he hosted a delegation from Fuzhou Benny Tea Industry Company and the China National Forest Industry Federation Ecological Tea and Coffee Branch who are in Kenya to discuss ways of boosting trade in specialty tea.
In the tea-growing region in the Eastern highlands, the family-run Njeru Industries planted 150 acres with purple tea in 2012, seeking to hedge against price fluctuations, leaving 450 acres to grow black tea.
How to export fresh produce from Kenya
“We thought that to level out the earnings, diversification would be a good strategy,” said Henry Njeru, the managing director, speaking with a tall glass of purple tea in front of him at his office in Meru town, north of Nairobi.
Njeru produced 10,000 kg of purple tea last year and expects to harvest 15,000 kg this year, selling for $30 per kg, well above the $1-$3.50 per kg fetched by traditional tea. He said he had buyers from Japan to the United States. The product is also finding local demand.