Kenya’s tea output up 4% in third quarter

Kenya’s tea output grew by 4% between July and October compared to a similar period last year due to favorable weather in the highlands.

Produce of crop climbed to 373.8 million kilograms in the third quarter compared to 359.6 million kilograms in 2019.

Kenya Tea Development Agency, the country’s biggest tea producer, said in a statement that on average, all teas at the weekly auction sold at $1.89 per kilogram during the period, down from $2.01 a year ago.

Factories managed by KTDA, as the entity is known, fetched better prices at the auction, averaging $2.20 per kilogram of made tea, down from $2.45 recorded during a similar period last year, it said.

“The 10% drop in tea prices for KTDA-managed factories is attributed to high volumes of tea produced during the period, continued Covid-19 pandemic disruption in key export destinations as well as the global oversupply situation,” according to the statement.

Tea is Kenya’s biggest export and foreign exchange earner. Key export destinations for the predominant black CTC-type of tea produced in the Eastern African country are Pakistan, Egypt, U.K., UAE, and Sudan.

KTDA accounts for about 60% of output in the world’s largest exporter of black tea. It processes and markets leaf for about 600,000 small-holder farmers.