Kenya’s export earnings from tea rose by 2.87% to $1.44bn (R24bn) in 2025 compared with $1.38bn the previous year, driven by increased volumes, an industry body report showed on Thursday.
Future earnings and farmers’ incomes are under threat, however, as disruption to shipping routes linked to the Iran conflict means about 8-million kilograms of tea has been stuck in warehouses in Kenya’s port city of Mombasa for weeks.
Tea is one of the East African nation’s biggest export earners alongside coffee and flowers.
The report by Kenya’s Tea Board said the total value of tea Kenya sold last year, including to the external and the domestic market, rose 1.7% to $1.68bn, compared to the previous period.
Overall export volume grew by 9.81% to 652.80-million kilograms from 594.5-million kilograms in 2024, partly driven by high volumes of unsold stocks carried over from 2023 and 2024.
It said Kenya also expanded its export reach to 100 destinations, up from 96 in 2024. Its biggest markets include Pakistan, Egypt, the UK, the United Arab Emirates and Russia.
Reuters
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.