The Mountain Journal
editor@themountainjournal.co.ke
Kenya has raised concern over the low quality teas mixed with Kenyan tea and marketed under Kenyan brand names.
In a high level meeting, they deliberated on the shelf life of tea, a matter that has been a sticking point in recent years.
The Pakistan Tea Association calls for a one-year shelf life, Kenya is pushing for an 18-month standard to allow flexibility on both ends of the supply chain.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe observed that mixing of low quality teas was among the market distortions, branding and price manipulation that should be brought to an end.
“If you must blend, do not use Kenyan names. It is misleading and harmful to our farmers,” Kagwe emphasized when he met Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Kenya, Mr. Ibrah Hussain Khan .
In their meeting attended by the key tea stakeholders among the Tea Board of Kenya (TBK) CEO Willy Mutai, KTDA, it was observed that they work towards ending the malpractices in the sector.
They agreed that Kenya and the leading tea buyers will work jointly towards addressing emerging concerns as they reaffirmed their strong trade ties in the tea sector to address the concerns.
Kagwe accompanied by the TBK CEO Willy Mutai underscored that the Pakistan tea market as last year exported 206 million kgs of tea which reflected a decline from the 209 million kgs of the previous year.
In the market trend in 2021, Kenya had sold 212 million kgs to Pakistan.
“With tea fetching an average price of KSh 339 per kilo, 206 Million Kgs export with value of KSh 70 Billion ,Pakistan remains Kenya’s top tea export destination, “ said the Kagwe.
He lauded the continued tea trading cooperation between Kenya and Pakistan, raising the critical issues affecting the Kenyan tea industry.
“When the Pakistan Tea Association issues circulars, it unintentionally sets the benchmark for other markets, creating price distortions across the entire supply chain,” said Kagwe.
He added that Kenya’s tea farmers were complaining, seeking market forces to play out freely.
The High Commissioner Khan assured Kenyans that the Pakistan government was committed to protecting the integrity of the Kenyan tea market.
“We will not allow any activities that distort the Kenyan tea brand or hurt the farmers who work hard to produce this high-quality product,” said Khan.
The envoy agreed that all the concerns raised by Kenya are valid and will be addressed with urgency.
