The Mountain Journal
editor@themountainjournal.co.ke
More than 313,749,789 kgs of tea from Kenya has been shipped to the foreign market between January and September this year.
The majority of the produce that attracted the 81 buyers was sourced from the KTDA managed tea factories.
According to the details obtained at the Mombasa Tea Auction, in the period the buyers who used the facility purchased 385,850,165 kgs of tea, where Kenya sold the largest consignment to the market more than Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique and Ethiopia.
Last year in the same duration, Kenya exported 282,479,123 kgs of the commodity.
Tea Value Chain Expert Peter Karomo said the auction facility has been the most popular in the world as many of the buyers are interested with the Kenyan produce to bled products from other tea producing countries.
Mr Karomo said policy by the Ministry of Agriculture, Tea Board of Kenya and KTDA Holdings directing plucking of the quality green leaf at the farm level will help in the marketing of the teas in the market.
“Quality of Kenya’s smallholder tea is superior thus attracting many of the buyers, as in the nine months duration Global Tea and Commodities out of 49.1 million kgs bought 42.3 million kgs originated from Kenya,” said Karomo.
Chai Trading which was ranked the second purchased 42.2 million kgs out of the 46 million kgs that was presented from the seven countries in east african region.
KTDA Holding Chairman Enos Njeru said the policy on quality green leaf will ensure all the tea in the market is sold, as he lauded the buyers for showing interest with the local produce.
The directors at the factories backed by the KTDA staff, Mr Njeru said, are educating the farmers on the need for plucking of the quality green leaf.
“ From the statistics at the tea auction, the buyers are interested in the Kenyans tea, thus the need for the local farmers to embrace the quality and adhere to the best farming practises,” said Njeru.
A marketer based Mercy Kimutai in Nairobi said the buyers are interested in the smallholder tea factories calling on the farmers to increase production for the higher prices at the auction.
“We have buyers visiting tea factories in the counties scouting for the best produce and the majority are interested in the KTDA run processing plants,” said Ms Kimutai.
