Kenya tea: Production, Processing and Exports

1. Kenya tea: Production, Processing and Exports Tea only comes second to horticulture in Kenya’s list of top ten exports. The sector earned fast growing African nation $931,878,329 in 2014 (rounded to the nearest dollar, using an exchange rate of 100.8 Kenyan shillings to the dollar). The third largest producer of tea (303,308 tonnes) in the world is the only country from Africa to account for a substantial amount of tea in the world market. Kenyan tea accounts for 20% of the global tea exports. Surprisingly, the nation only consumes 5% of its production. How did it begin? History has it that Camellia Sinensis or tea was introduced in Kenya by English settlers from India in 1903. The colonial government however only permitted large-scale settlers farmers and multinationals to produce the country’s top cash crops tea and coffee. It was only after the nation became independent of colonial rule that local farmers became owners of small shares of tea estates land. The rest, as they say, is history. From 21,500 hectares of tea harvested and 18,000 tonnes produced in 1963 to 120,000 hectares and almost 300,000 tonnes at the end of the century, the Kenyan tea industry came a long way. Kenya is now the biggest producer of black tea ahead of China and India. Production of tea What really works for Kenya is its ideal conditions for growing tea. Tropical climate with high precipitation, rich volcanic red soils and long sunny days are just a few of the favourable conditions. As Kenya is located on the equator tea-growing regions in the nation is concentrated in the higher altitude areas. These areas are not only cooler but also receive better rainfall. As of today, tea is planted in an

2. area of over 157,720 hectares with a production of 345,817 metric tonnes. Out of which, 325,533 metric tonnes are exported. Highlands located in the west of the Rift Valley is where most tea in Kenya is grown. The high altitudes range from 1500 to 2700 metres. Large scale tea plantations are concentrated in the Kericho region. Tea farms can also be found in the east highlands of the Rift Valley and in Central Kenya. The western highland growing areas include Kericho, Nandi, Kakamega and Cherangani Hills. The Eastern highlands growing areas comprise Nyambene Hills, Nyeri, Murang’a, Kiambu, Thika and Maragua. Unlike other top tea producing nations like India or China, 90% of Kenyan tea is grown on small farms of less than one acre. The Kenyan Tea Development Agency (KTDA) manages the small scale holder farms. 66 KTDA tea factories of the agency aid 500,000 small scale farmers cultivating over 100,000 ha. 60% of the tea produced in Kenya is accounted for by KTDA members. The rest is constituted for by large-scale producers. There are about 50 varieties of tea in Kenya. 90% of the tea is handpicked. Finest top two leaves and the bud are only used in producing tea. Tea processing CTC is one of the one processing methods that Kenyans swear by. Crush, Tear and Curl (CTC) process includes 3 steps. •Crushing involves breaking down the cell structure to get two chemicals in the leaf to blend together - polyphenols and flavanols. This is to bring about fermentation. Enzyme polyphenol oxidase reacts with oxygen to speed up the reaction. •Tear requires the leaves to be ground into fine green powder. •Curl helps combine the very particles into larger granules. After which the tea is fermented again for the second time and then sent along a conveyor to the dryers. Sorting is the final part of the process wherein fiberous material is separated from the tea. Tea processed is thicker and brighter. The orthodox method of processing tea is a traditional one that necessitates rolling leaf into smaller particles. The tea tends to be strong and of robust flavour. Exports The main markets for Kenyan tea exports are Egypt, Pakistan and the UK. The countries collectively import about more than 65% of tea produced in Kenya. It is interesting to note that importers can only buy tea through auction sales. That is through the Mombasa tea auction or directly or through an agent. The direct/contract sales method permits you to purchase teas straight-line/unblended directly from the factory. 26% of total export earnings come from tea exports. That is about 4% of the GDP. For more details visit us at http://www.eximdesk.com/buzz/