Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Andrew Karanja has lauded the achievements that have been made in the tea sector.

The CS made the remarks during the Tea Board of Kenya’s centenary anniversary, which was held at Kilimo House on Thursday, October 24, 2024. While acknowledging the achievements recorded over the years in the sector, Karanja said the event in itself is worth celebrating.

“It is my great pleasure to preside over the launch of tea industry centenary celebrations to mark 100 years since the commercialization of tea.

I would like to say that centenary events come once in a lifetime and that few people enjoy the privilege of witnessing such an event. It is therefore a great event for all of us to celebrate 100 years since tea was commercialised in Kenya.

“In 100 years, we have been able to achieve a lot in the tea industry. The industry supports a large number of our people: about six hundred smallholder farmers and six million people along the value chain,” Karanja said.

CS Andrew Karanja: We would like to congratulate our tea farmers for their diligence. The government on its part will continue to support our tea farmers. We have instructed KTDA to ensure that fertilizer is available to our farmers at an affordable price.#kenyateaat100… pic.twitter.com/pjh3zSinNE

— K24 TV (@K24Tv) October 24, 2024

Earnings

The CS noted the growth in earnings that the sector has recorded and said he is hopeful of accelerated growth given that tea is one of the driving agricultural products in the economy.

“In 2024, the industry earnings were about Ksh181 billion. This has grown from Ksh138 billion from the previous year, and you will note that there has been tremendous growth in terms of earnings.

“We began from humble beginnings when we were exporting to only one country. Today, our tea is exported to 90 destinations across the world. The government has taken tea as one of the flagship projects under the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda,” he added.

Karanja stressed the need to add value to tea before exportation in order to increase earnings. To him, the centenary celebration gives the tea sector a chance to reflect its achievements and strategize going into the future.

“Our auction in Mobasa has grown, and you will note that we can auction teams from other countries. 

“The centenary celebrations will give us an opportunity to look at what we have been able to achieve in the last one hundred years. It will also help us to reflect on what we aim to achieve in the next 100 years.

“The tea sector is one of the key drivers of our economy, and the government has taken tea as one of the flagship projects in agriculture.

“We have been exporting tea as the raw material, and it is time we realise that when we move forward to the next century, we would like to export tea as a value-added product,” he added.

Tea Board has also lined up two more events next month that are aimed at highlighting the historical significance, economic impact, and future prospects of Kenyan tea.

The events are: Heritage Week at Karatina University from November 6-8, 2024, and the Kenya Tea Summit from November 15-16, 2024, in Mombasa.