The volume of Kenya’s tea exports went up 19 percent in the first quarter of 2024, boosted by increased shipment to key markets, the Tea Board of Kenya (TBK) said Wednesday.
The exports rose to 155.8 million kg, up from 131.1 million kg posted in January-March 2023, the TBK said in a report released in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.
The TBK attributed the surge to rising demand in traditional and emerging markets.
“Traditional markets recorded increased imports for Kenya tea. Notably, Chad emerged as a key market, recording consistent increase in exports from Kenya,” the report said.
Overall, Pakistan was the top destination for Kenyan tea, importing 50.8 million kg in the first quarter, up from 39.3 million kg recorded in the same period in 2023.
Other top buyers were Britain, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Russia and Saudi Arabia.
Kenya’s total tea export volume rose from 450.33 million kg in 2022 to 522.92 million kg in 2023. It earned 180.57 billion shillings (about 1.4 billion U.S. dollars) in 2023 from tea, an increase from 950 million dollars the previous year.
“These are the best earnings ever recorded by the tea industry over the years,” said Willy Mutai, the TBK chief executive officer.
Tea is one of Kenya’s main foreign exchange earners, alongside tourism and horticulture. Kenya has prioritized increasing the level of value-added tea exports from 5 percent in 2023 to 50 percent by 2027.
XINHUA