- KTDA urges greater local consumption of value-added Kenyan tea.
- Public institutions asked to buy and serve local tea.
- Move aims to help farmers earn more through value addition.
The Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) is pushing for greater consumption of locally value-added Kenyan tea, a move aimed at helping farmers earn more from the crop.
KTDA wants both national and county governments to help create a ready market for processed tea, including requiring public institutions to consume locally produced value-added tea.
KTDA Chairman Enos Njeru said value addition remains one of the clearest paths to unlocking more earnings for tea farmers.
“Value addition is one of the pathways through which we can capture more value from our tea, strengthen our brands and create better opportunities to our farmers,” Njeru said.
He added that premium Kenyan tea deserves greater visibility both locally and internationally. “Premium Kenyan tea must find its place on supermarket shelves in Kenya and beyond our borders”
READ ALSO:
Njeru said traceability should also be a priority, allowing buyers to know the exact origin of the tea they purchase. “When a consumer picks up this package, we want them to know exactly where that tea comes from. I want to encourage Kenyans to consume Kenyan tea,” he said.
According to Njeru, government institutions have a critical role to play in driving demand for locally processed tea. “Government must lead by example,” he said, appealing to public offices to embrace local brands.
“I appeal to government institutions and offices to consider purchasing locally produced value-added Kenyan teas for their offices, meetings, and staff consumption,” Njeru said.
He noted that widespread adoption within the public sector could significantly transform the market. “Imagine the market we can create if thousands of government offices consume Kenyan tea,” he said.
The push for local consumption comes as KTDA intensifies efforts to help farmers capture more value from tea, rather than relying heavily on bulk exports of unprocessed leaf.
By Benedict Aoya
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!
