Purple tea offers diversity and more income for farmers
Njeru Industries Tea Estate's humans resource manager Roseline Njoki Njeru on the company's purple tea farm. The production of purple tea in Kenya is low because only a few farmers are involved. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Over 96 per cent of the tea is produced and exported as black tea, mostly for blending with low-quality teas from other countries, making farmers earn less.
Purple tea grows well in the highlands at an altitude of 1,500-2,500m above sea level, is resistant to drought, frost, pests and diseases, has a wide adaptability and is hardy against root-knot nematodes.
The main export market is Japan, and others include the US, Germany and China. Despite the reduction in the price of ordinary tea, the price of purple tea is increasing.
According to Kippra, most farmers do not want to adopt purple tea production because of lack of income when they uproot their black tea bushes and establish the purple ones, which take three years to mature.
Kenya is the largest tea-producing country in Africa and is ranked third in the world after China and India.
Tea plays a major role in the country's economy, as it is the third-largest foreign exchange earner, behind tourism and horticulture, and employs about four million people.
