- Tea sector players seek stronger partnerships across the value chain
- Stakeholders push for innovation, new markets and stronger brands
- Farmers urged to benefit more from changing global tea demand
Kenya’s tea sector has appealed for strategic partnerships designed to take the tea value chain to the next level for the benefit of smallholder tea growers, estimated at 700,000.
The call for strategic partnership was raised by the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) Holding Chairman, Enos Njeru, who called for support in value addition, technology, climate resilience, financing, logistics, market development, consumer branding, research and innovation.
Under the theme of “Beyond the Leaf,” the delegates deliberated on the production of quality tea and reduced production costs for the interest of the smallholder farmers.
Addressing the 7th African Tea Convention and exhibition in Nairobi, attended by delegates from more than 26 countries, the call for partnership is strategically designed to create more value, develop new products, reach new consumers, enter new markets, strengthen our capabilities and build sustainable commercial opportunities for farmers.
KTDA Holding Chairman Enos Njeru lauded the East African Tea Trade Association (EATTA) for convening the meeting in Kenya, where the players in the sector drawn from various fields interacted with the local farmers.
READ ALSO:
PS Fikirini: Youth programmes should be treated as economic investments
In the session, the players called for strengthening regional collaboration, investing in innovation, embracing technology, developing stronger African brands, and exploring new markets, and throughout this journey, the farmer must remain at the centre.
Njeru added that KTDA has built a strong reputation around the quality and consistency of Kenyan smallholder tea.
“However, the global tea market is changing. Quality alone is no longer enough. Consumers increasingly want to understand origin, sustainability, traceability, social impact and the story behind the product they consume,” said Njeru.
KTDA, he added, has an opportunity to position its brand more strongly not merely as an organisation that manages tea production, but as a leading African tea enterprise representing quality, farmer ownership, sustainability and value creation.
“Our story is powerful. It is a story of hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers whose collective effort has made Kenyan tea recognised around the world. That story must be communicated more boldly, both within Africa and in international markets. We must move closer to the consumer, strengthen our brand and ensure that the value associated with Kenyan tea translates into greater opportunities for our farmers,” said Njeru.
Agriculture and Livestock CS Mutahi Kagwe said Kenyan tea has been put on the global map owing to the production of quality green leaf.
Kagwe said the handpicked tea remained of better quality compared to the machine-cut teas, adding that quality tea pays better.
Kagwe said Kenya was interested in job creation for value addition, zero-rated packaging materials, a land commercialisation initiative on state land through leasing, partnership with people who can produce new quality, and partnership with extension officers.
“Kenya is a leading producer of tea, thus keen to retain the production of the commodity; thus the need for the farmers to move into the diversification to new markets that include China,” he said, adding that purple tea is the new kid on the block.
A leading buyer, Nadeem Ahmed, the Chief Executive Officer of Global Tea Commodities, called on Africa to redouble its tea intake, comparing the insecurity in Sudan, Congo and Nigeria to the elaborate market which has remained inaccessible.
“Africa has 1.5 billion people, thus the major market for tea without export to other countries,” said Nadeem, adding that some of the tea in the CTC category has failed to attract the market, thus being not sellable.
He called for the factories to venture into the production of orthodox tea that attracts new markets.
By our correspondent
Get more stories from our website: Sacco Review.
For comments and clarifications, write to: Saccoreview@
Kindly follow us via our social media pages on Facebook: Sacco Review Newspaper for timely updates
Stay ahead of the pack! Grab the latest Sacco Review newspaper!
