Kenya’s earnings from tea in the first half of 2020 dropped by KSh5 billion as a result of the negative effects of the Covid-19 that impacted commodity trading in the global market.
According to the data from the Directorate, Kenyan farmers received Ksh 55 billion between January and June 2020, a drop from Ksh 60 billion recorded at the same time in 2019.
A kilogram of green tea on the international market dropped from Ksh 239 to Ksh 221 while the volume of tea exported dropped by 2,000,000 kilograms during the period under review.
Data from the Kenya Bureau of Statistics shows that the volume of tea exports from January and June hit 300.5 Million kilograms from 235.5 Million kilograms in the same period in 2019.
Kenya exports its tea to Pakistan, Egypt, Afghanistan, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Central Bank of Kenya disclosed that despite the impact of the pandemic, exports of goods have rebounded, growing by 1.7 percent in the first half of 2020 compared to a similar period in 2019.
“Receipts from tea exports over this period increased by 18.4 percent with increased production,” said Dr. Patrick Njoroge in a post MPC meeting on July 29, 2020.
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