Nairobi: Kenya, as the world’s leading exporter of black tea, is committed to strengthening bilateral trade ties and ensuring our high-quality tea reaches global markets. On Thursday, Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture Sen. Mutahi Kagwe held a meeting with Iranian business groups to deliberate on lifting the current ban on Kenyan tea exports to Iran.
According to Kenya News Agency, in a press statement from his office, the CS said that discussions also focused on exploring expanded trade opportunities not only with Iran but across the broader Middle Eastern and Central Asian regions. ‘Reopening access to Iran’s robust market could be a game changer for tea farmers and the entire tea value chain,’ Kagwe said.
The CS was accompanied by the Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya to the United Arab Emirates, Kenneth Milimo Nganga, Kenya Tea Development Agency Chairman Chege Kirundi, and Chief Executive Officer Wilson Muthaura. Kenya’s imports from Iran were USD 28.45 million during 2023, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade, and the same year, it exported goods worth USD 46.03 million to Iran.
Two years ago, in 2023, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was hosted by President William Ruto in Kenya, with the president saying the two countries are strategically located to be each other’s key points of entry into their respective regions. During their meeting, Dr. Ruto and Dr. Raisi witnessed the signing of new MoUs and agreements in the areas of agriculture, livestock, culture and heritage, information, ICT, fisheries, housing, and urban and metropolitan development.