Kenya to introduce high yielding tea varieties

Kenya will fast-track the development of new high yielding tea varieties in order to boost sectoral incomes.

Tea Research Institute Director John Bore told Xinhua on Friday in Nairobi that the new varieties have the potential to more than double production per hectare of farms.

"Our research shows that the new tea varieties can produce 3.5 kilograms of tea leaves per bush per year up from the current 1.5 kgs per tea bush," Bore said.

Bore added that the new varieties will enable Kenya to expand tea production without increasing the area under cultivation.

Government data indicates that over 60 percent of all tea is produced by small scale farmers with the rest being produced by plantations.

The productivity of small scale farmers is approximately 1.5 kgs per tea bush per year compared to that of tea plantations which stands at two kgs per tea bush.

According to the ministry of agriculture, Kenya produced 400 million kgs of tea in 2015, out of which 95 percent was exported.

Kenya Tea Research Institute said that the new tea varieties will also be resistant to abiotic stress that is common during harvesting in order to preserve the quality of the tea.

He said that the new varieties will produce tea products that meet the requirements of a dynamic marketplace.

"Tea is facing a lot of competition from other beverages such carbonated soft drinks, so it is important for Kenya to be innovative," the director said.

The research institute plans to carry out a sensitization campaign to ensure that farmers plant the high yielding varieties. Endit