By George Munene
On Saturday, 26 June 2021, Bomet County shipped 84 tons of tea to Iran–commencing direct tea sales to the Middle Eastern country. This will mean increased incomes for the county’s over 100,000 small-scale tea farmers.
This follows talks between Bomet Governor Dr. Hillary Barchok and Iranian ambassador to Kenya H.E Jafar Barmaki have been ongoing for two years.
Related News: Njeru Industries shakes up tea buying with fast payments
Related News: Eldoret company develops tea picking device halving production costs
Demand for tea in Iran stands at 116 million kilos, with the country only producing 20 million kilos. This provides a potential market for Kenyan tea that is highly prized internationally. “Very few Iranians can afford Keyan tea because of its taste and quality. If I need Kenyan tea I have to order from Europe and that makes it unaffordable to many Iranians,” said Barmaki
As of 2019, Kenya exported 532,715 kilograms to Iran–these numbers are however highly curtailed by US sanctions on the Islamic republic.
Barchok insisted that direct markets offer farmers better prices and an alternative to the Kenya Tea Development Agency and the Mombasa Auction–bodies bedeviled by mismanagement and accusations of corruption. Prior to their amendment, Kenya’s tea exporting rules mandated that exported tea passes through the Mombasa tea auction house.
Related News:Tea industry beats clock picking and transporting in daylight
According to data from the Kenya Tea Directorate, Kenya exported 153.2 million kilograms of tea in the first three months of 2021, an 18.9 per cent jump in the first quarter of the year compared to 2020. Pakistan accounted for 40 per cent of the total shipments with other key destinations being Egypt, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Russia, Sudan, Yemen, and Kazakhstan.
Related posts:
- Coffee farmers switch to horticulture for profits Hannah Wairimu has never regretted uprooting 100 trees of poorly performing coffee from her two...
- Eldoret exporter urgently buying red chilli An Eldoret based exporter Mace Food is looking for farmers to supply them with at...
- Company set to launch platform to connect banana, mango, passion, yellow beans, green grams and cow pea’s farmers to markets Wanda Agriculture Ltd, a company that was started seven years ago and has been involved...
- New sesame hulling plant launched in Ethiopia to provide farmers with ready market KROTAJ Tahini Manufacturers PLC (KROTAJ), an international partnership of sesame experts and investment professionals last...
- Nairobi modern farmers’ market set to connect food producers directly with consumers An artist’s impressions of the proposed Nairobi Farmers Market Kenyan farmers will soon have their...
- Western Kenya-based agro-processing firm offers ready market for pawpaw farmers Pawpaw farmers in Western Kenya on a field training by Great Lakes Breeders Limited agronomists...