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By ABF writer
Tea directorate under Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Authority (AFFA) has said that it is currently formulating strategies in a bid to boost local tea consumption.
The Interim Head of Tea Directorate Elizabeth Kimenyi says the move to diversify Kenya’s tea production into green, Orthodox, white and Purple types, is one of the approaches the Authority will be seeking to employ in an effort to promote tea consumption among Kenyan consumers – which continues to deteriorate.
Over the last year approximately a third of local tea consumers have stopped taking local tea, according to the industry’s latest figures, majority being young people, and now the Directorate is expressing concerns over the worrying trend, this despite the sector recording an increase in the crop’s production in the last five years.
“The percentage of local tea consumption is still low, the figures should be increasing but we are in negotiation with stakeholders to take part in other types of tea production, already a number of factories are adopting the Orthodox type.
“There is a lot of diversification of tea among young consumers because of health issues, and others who prefer to use garlic and other additives in their tea,” she said during the Kenya Tea Industry Stakeholders’ Forum held in Nairobi last month.
The directorate is further betting on a new tea policy which was developed in June last year to guide the industry which is hoped will improve the current dwindling figures of the commodity in the international market.
Other measures the Directorate will embark on to increase tea consumption in the local market include local campaigns and promotion of tea and Kenya Tea Mark of Origin.
The Directorate however continues to grapple with tea counterfeits flooding the local market with the packaging and blending believed to be happening in the country and the fakes being exported out of the country to the consuming markets.
“Adulteration and counterfeiting of teas where high quality teas from different regions are blended with low quality teas and still branded pure tea from the land of origin and this is affecting the commodity’s volumes and reputation,” said Mrs. Kimenyi.
Kenya accounts for about 9 percent of the global production and is still the world’s leading exporter of black tea and the commodity is also a major foreign exchange earner for the country.
Data from AFFA shows that in the first six months of the year, tea output fell to 175.2million kilograms from 224.8million kg during the same period last year. The data further shows that Kenya exported 247.57millionkg of the crop, a decline from 249.8million kg in the first six months of 2014, with the plunge being blamed on poor weather conditions.
Normally, the differences in export and production figures usually arise from unsold tea carried over the previous year.