East African tea farmers to feel the pinch of declining prices in international market
Kenyan farmers pluck tea. Kenya is feeling the impacts of currency devaluation in Pakistan considering the country is the leading importer of Kenyan tea. FILE PHOTO | NMG
It is going to be a sour season for tea farmers in East Africa, with low international prices dropping from a high of $2.98 per kilogramme in 2017 to a low of $1.76 per kilogramme in July.
At a media briefing to discuss global trend in tea prices, the state of the tea industry and the proposed Tea Bill in Kenya, the decline in international prices was blamed not only on overproduction amid depressed global demand but also currency devaluation and instability in key markets in Asia and Africa and international politics that have seen Iran slapped with more economic sanctions.
