Kenya: Tea production observed dropping from 493 to 416m kg in 2019

Kenya's tea industry regulator has recently claimed that the country's tea production is projected to drop by 12 percent year-on-year in 2019.

According to the Tea Directorate, Kenya's tea export earnings are forecast to fall to 133 billion shillings ($1.32 billion) in 2019, from a record 140.86 billion shillings in 2018, due to a drop in export volumes.

"The total production for 2019 was observed dropping to about 416 million kilograms from 492.99 million kilograms in 2018," Tea Directorate said in a statement issued in Kenya's capital city Nairobi.

Kenya is one of the biggest exporters of black tea in the world alongside countries like India, China, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Indonesia to name a few. Tea is also one of the leading sources of foreign exchange in Kenya.

It noted that export volumes are expected to drop by the same margin of 12 percent to reach 422 million kilograms, while earnings are expected to hit a record of 133 billion Kenyan shillings (USD 1.33 billion). The Tea Directorate said production for 2018 rose 12 percent on a yearly basis to 492.99 million kilograms owing to good weather condition, as reported by Xinhua.

The country exported a total of 474.86 million kilograms of tea in 2018. This was 59.14 million kilograms higher than 415.68 million kilograms exported in 2017. Export earnings augmented by USD 590 million to USD 1.4 billion in 2018.

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