Mombasa: In the wake of the shrinking market for Crush, Tear, Curl (CTC) tea, East African nations are being urged to harmonise their tea production standards to fully exploit the growing global demand for orthodox tea. Speaking during the launch of Africa Orthodox Tea by the East African Tea Trade Association in Mombasa, Tea Board of Kenya (TBK) CEO Willy Mutai highlighted Africa's role as a global leader in black CTC tea production, contributing 12 per cent to the global commodity market. However, he noted that global prices for black CTC tea have stagnated and declined in recent years, significantly affecting farmers' incomes.
According to Kenya News Agency, Mutai stated that Africa is at a strategic inflation point as global consumers increasingly seek authenticity, origin stories, wellness, and visibility. He emphasized that orthodox teas meet these demands, being handcrafted, diverse in flavour, rooted in heritage, and tailored to premium segments of the global markets. Black orthodox tea, he noted, holds high value and potential opportunities, offering a chance to reposition African black tea from bulk commodities to luxury and branded products.
To unlock this potential, Mutai called for stronger regulatory coherence among East African countries and other African tea-producing nations. He emphasized the need for harmonising standards, synchronising quality benchmarks, sharing visibility protocols, and streamlining cross-border trade procedures for tea produce and products. The CEO also advocated for establishing inter-country systems for licensing, certification, and trade facilitation.
Mutai further disclosed their efforts in championing climate-smart farming, responsible water use, forest restoration, and carbon-smart farming at the farm level. In manufacturing, he stressed the importance of promoting green energy and factory waste management as circular economic models, urging investment in technology and innovations to enhance tea value chains.
Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) chairman Chege Kirundi expressed confidence in Kenyan farmers' capacity to produce orthodox tea, noting that over 12 million kilograms were produced in 2024. He called for increased marketing efforts for African orthodox teas, assuring buyers of Kenyan farmers' capability and willingness to meet global demand. Kirundi highlighted the potential for new market outlets through this channel.
Uganda's Ambassador to Kenya, Amb. Eunice Kigenyi, pointed out the global demand for orthodox tea is growing at over six per cent annually, driven by wellness trends and consumer preferences for traceable and ethically produced goods. She highlighted the market's potential, worth billions of dollars, and East Africa's position to capture it, offering new opportunities for farmers, processors, and exporters, and creating thousands of jobs along the value chain.
Amb. Kigenyi emphasized the importance of cooperation to improve quality and consistency through training and certification, leveraging digital platforms and e-commerce, and promoting sustainable practices to appeal to environmentally conscious consumers. She urged producers to invest in branding and explore origin-based markets, noting the rapid evolution of consumer expectations.