Climate change hurting tea production in East Africa

Fresh green tea leaves at a tea plantation in Limuru Kiambu County on June 5, 2023. 

Photo credit: File| Nation Media Group

Tea production volumes and quality in East Africa have dipped due to unpredictable weather patterns resulting from climate change, now blamed for the rise in resistant pests and diseases.

The East African Tea Trade Association (Eatta) says exports have gone down from 517 million kilos in 2022 to 482 million kilos in 2023, a 6.8 percent decline.