By Duncan Mboyah

Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development on Wednesday launched the first specialty tea auction.

Mutahi Kagwe, cabinet secretary in the Ministry said that the move raises the east African nation’s profile globally on production of specialty tea.

Kagwe said that Kenya is commitment to enhancing the production and export of specialty teas for domestic consumption and the global market.

“We have decided to diversifying markets by increasing capacity to produce orthodox teas in order to capture the ever-changing global market,” Kagwe said in the coastal city of Mombasa during a tea auction.

Kagwe noted that the decision will enable farmers to tap into the premium market and make profit, greater resilience and new revenue streams as consumers.

He observed that the introduction of orthodox tea auction provides farmers and producers with a structured, transparent marketplace that expands their reach beyond traditional buyers.

In an effort that is aimed at improving specialty tea production and exports, Kagwe said that Kenya has licensed 22 orthodox manufacturers and hoped to double this to 42 by 2027.

“We aim to grow installed orthodox capacity from 15 million kilos in 2024 to 200 million kilos by 2030,” he added.

He added that Kenya has established a tea quality assurance laboratory in Mombasa to offer real-time quality advisory, product testing, and food-safety certification.

Kagwe further announced that the Mombasa Tea Auction is going online internationally to help increase transparency, improve farmer returns, and ensure Kenya remains globally competitive.

He observed that the digital transformation will allow buyers from across the world to participate in real time, enhance price discovery, reduce cartels, and firmly position Kenya as a modern, efficient tea-trading hub.

During the occasion, 2,925 packages, which are equivalent to 91,798 kilos of orthodox tea was traded for the first time.

The official assured tea traders that Kenyan farmers have the capacity to satisfy the growing global demand for specialty teas.

During the period, orthodox teas prices ranged between USD 3.40 and USD 4.16 per kilo, with an average of USD 3.70 per kilo.

A total of 7.51 million kilos of orthodox tea was produced last year, of which 5 million kilos were exported.