Tea growing in kenya pdf

Uganda is known to have a favourable climate for tea growing. First soak your tea seeds in water for between 24 and 48 hours. Increased production was largely attributed to the continued precipitation in tea growing areas in the west and east of rift particularly in bomet. In 2008, tanzania was the worlds 14th largest tea producer, producing about 0. Kenya tea development agency has imported 76, 153 metric tonnes of fertiliser worth billion for distribution to small scale tea farmers countrywide. Unlike india and sri lanka, where most tea is grown on large plantations, 90% of tea. Bop broken orange pekoe blend, also a black orthodox tea. As the worlds biggest tea company, we believe that leading the way in sustainable tea sourcing creates opportunities.

Also which new orthodox specialty green, white, and black teas being exported and to look for. Social economic factors influencing tea production by. Kenya tea liquors range between good medium to very fine qualities, attributes that make kenya tea the most sought after beverage in the world. More and more farmers are involving themselves in tree growing each day and without a doubt are minting massive benefits from the same. In order to promote and foster the development of tea for smallscale teagrowers in the particular well. Asiapacific is the largest market growing at a cagr of 6. Farming of tea in kenya has been proven to be one of the greatest sources of income for kenyan farmers. Kenya for kenfap, the kenyan federation of agricultural producers, who made contacts to farmer. In india, the main teagrowing areas of northeast india, assam and west bengal, showed a steady increase in mean temperature with the average minimum temperature having increased by. The kenya tea industry is the largest exporter of black tea products in the world today. Tanzania is one of the most important teaproducing countries in africa, and also borders kenya and malawi, two other major african teagrowing countries. The challenges and positive developments article pdf available in journal of applied sciences 52 february 2005 with 5,183 reads how we measure reads. However, if you plan to grow from seed, make sure you buy your tea seeds from a reputable supplier. Uganda has only exploited about 10% of its potential for tea growing and has about 21,000 ha of land under tea growing.

But aside from its natural attractions, kenya is also known for the quality tea it grows. Starting a herbal tea production company sample business plan template. Most kenya tea is grown in the highlands west of the rift valley, at high altitudes between 1500 to 2700 meters. Kenya began growing tea on a commercial scale fairly recently, less than one hundred years ago. A comparative study of the tea sector in kenya a case study of large scale tea estates khrc, 2008. Adaptation and mitigation in the kenyan tea industry unido. Map of kenya showing tea growing areas source ktda, 2006 currently there are about 420,000 smallscale tea farmers in kenya who have traditionally and by law been under the control of ktda. This article treats the cultivation of the tea plant. Great rift valley splits kenya in half, right down the middle, with tea growing on both sides.

Tea sector i 1 although china and india are the leading global tea producers, kenya is the third largest tea producer and the largest producer of black tea. By region, asiapacific and europe are the most prominent regional market. Tea production, area harvested and yield in kenya, 20012010. Kenya prides itself as the producer of the best black tea in the world due to the good agronomical and manufacturing practices and the ideal tea growing conditions. Climatically, tea belongs to the monsoon lands where high temperatures, long growing season and heavy rainfall help the growth of tea plants. Commercial tree growing is a venture that is becoming popular with the farmers, considering its financial and environmental benefits.

Pakistan is the largest importer of teas produced in kenya on a regular basis. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, tea growing had spread to russian georgia, sumatra, and iran and extended to nonasian countries such as natal, malawi, uganda, kenya, congo, tanzania, and mozambique in africa, to argentina, brazil, and peru in south america, and to queensland in australia. The first thing to do is offer samples to your friends and other people within your community. In 1954 smallholder tea cultivation commenced under the swynnerton plan with. Valley arcade shopping center po box 41079 00100 nairobi, kenya. This has to be after you have made sure it is completely safe for consumption. We use a balanced panel household data set collected in 2000, 2004, 2007 and 2010 from eight agroregional zones and climate data from 1980 to 2010. Tanzania is a country on the east coast of africa, bordering the indian ocean. It also has recently emerged as a major source of innovation in new varieties of tea and singleorigin artisan teas. They love it with plenty of sugar and milk, the style called chai.

Kenya tea development agencys predecessor the kenya tea development authority, was established in 1964 by an act of parliament as a parastatal charged with the responsibility of developing and fostering the young and nascent small scale growers sector. Tea production has contributed significantly to the kenyan economy and it will continue to do so. Climate change and tea in kenya food and agriculture. With more than 111,002 hectares of land under tea and 303,308 tonnes of tea annually, its quite obvious why kenya is a major producer of tea in the world after china and india. In general, the kenyan tea sector performance has been lower than those of the world top exporters wte.

The following are the major tea production areas in kenya. Kenya is a tropical east african country with a wide diversity of climate and geographic regions. An evaluation of the future of tea indicates that there is a great deal of uncertainty about what the tea sector could look like by 2030. Growing tea from seed is not an exact science and with a germination time of up to 8 weeks, it is not the quickest way to grow tea. Kenya tea development agency ktda, private companies dealing with. Economic issues and government policies gaminda ganewatta and g. This diversity allows many crops to be introduced and grown successfully. And this uncertainty is compounded by difficulties in predicting how these different factors might interact with one another. Tea is grown in these places because the climate and soil is right. Kenya, in east africa, is the thirdlargest fourth in some past years producer of tea worldwide, and is the only country in africa to produce a substantial amount of tea for the world market. Therefore, this study was aimed at addressing the effect of.

Economical strategies for the farmer will also be required. Smallscale tea research in kenya cpda together in development iv foreword this is a report on research undertaken on the tea sector in kenya targeting the smallscale tea farmers who contribute over 60% of tea production in kenya. This is a list of major tea growing regions in kenya. This invigorating drink is a favourite for kenyans. Suitable tea growing areas, based on current climate conditions. The research was prompted by the growing concern on tea pricing at the international markets against the farmerworker welfare on the farms. This can be attributed high consumption and production of tea in the region. The research was carried out from april to july 2007 and embraced key stakeholders in. But the unique climate and the special rich flavour of the tea has meant that the country has quickly become a world leader in tea production. In kenya, there is a particular concern over tea a critically important sector for the economy, but which is also highly sensitive to. The first kenyan tea was cultivated in 1903 in limuru in the kiambu district, planted by a european settler named caine on a small, two acre parcel of land. Most tea produced in kenya is black tea, with green tea, yellow tea, and white tea produced on order by major tea producers. Kenya malawi southafrica rwanda this article is a stub.

Tea production has contributed significantly to the kenyan economy. The value of worldwide tea exports fell by an average 12. Tea growing in kenya has been expanding into the aberdare forest where the physical condition for its growth is good and economic returns are profitable. Kenya is also involved in the drafting of the east african community eac fertilizer policy which will eventually lead to the eac fertilizer act and regulations. Best time for tea growing season in kenya 2020 when.

Adapting herproject to the smallholder farm context working paper. Analysis of incentives and disincentives for tea in kenya. By 1956, towards the sunset of the colonial reign in kenya, a growing number of african farmers were planting tea in the highlands areas of the rift valley, around. Kericho region, in particular, is where most of the largescale tea plantations are found. Pdf tea cultivation under changing climatic conditions.

The plant, a species of evergeen camellia sinensis, is valued for its young leaves and leaf buds, from which the tea beverage is produced. Kenyan tea has been the leading major foreign exchange earner for the country. The case of the smallholder tea sector in kenya kilimo trust. Starting a herbal tea production company sample business. Kenyas teaswhere they grow, types of tea, climate and.

Teas of kenyatypes of tea, where and how they are grown. Kenya became independent in 196263 and on the 20 january 1964 the ktda kenya tea development authority was formed and given statute in law. Kenya also plays a leading role in auctioning east african tea, although it is facing a growing chal lenge from the dubai tea trading centre dttc. Exploring the tea growing regions of kenya, the types and styles of tea grown there as well as the climate, and harvesting and plucking schedule. Suitable conditions required for the growth of tea. The production of tea at both small and large scale is important in a number of ways that can be considered to be of great help in expanding the economic growth of the country. Kenya is located on the equator and has a mostly semiarid tropical climate, with steppe and semidesert in the lowlying areas, and montane forests at the higher altitudes. In general the most suitable soils are slightly acidic and without calcium. The tea industry is controlled by the kenya tea development agency ktda. Tea production, cultivation of the tea plant, usually done in large commercial operations. Tea was introduced in hawaii in 1887 and was commercially grown until 1892.

Effects of climate variability and change on agricultural. The kenya tea is grown in prime lands capable of producing over 6000 kg mt per hectare per year under good cropping weather. We estimate the effects of climate variability and change on agricultural revenues of smallscale farmers in kenya. This is precisely because the demand for forest resources. Kenya is the largest tea growing country in africa, ranking fourth in world tea production and third in exports in 2008. In 2017, the output provided by the industry was in excess of 400,000 metric tons. Currently kenya is ranked third behind china and india in tea production. Commercialisation of tea started in 1924 and since then the nation became a major producer of black tea. While it is not clear why the tea was eventually discontinued, historians believe higher wages compared to other prime tea growing areas in asia and africa were among the deciding factors. Tea was first introduced in kenya in 1903 by gwl caine and was planted in presentday limuru. The tea plant which was introduced in the country by 1900 had by mid 1950s tea become ugandas main estate crop. Other tea farming also takes place in the highlands east of the rift valley as well as in central kenya.

The first milestone in the efforts by african farmers to be allowed to grow the crop came in 1954 when the colonial government formulated the swynnerton plan, formalizing smallholder tea cultivation. Workers pick tea leaves at a plantation in nandi hills, in kenyas highlands. Kenya kenyan teas tea producing regions of kenya ratetea. Herein a summary of significant aspects of the tea industry and positive developments, which will shape the future of tea production in kenya, are highlighted. Tea market size and share industry analysis report with.

Smallscale tea research in kenya cpda together in development 4 figure 1. Tea is grown in a number of states of africa including. Subsequently, the expansion has contributed to forest loss due to fuel demand in the tea processing factories. Table 1 compares kenyas key tea industry indicators over the past decade with those of the top five world tea exporters.