Farmer picking tea leaves in Kericho County. [Photo/ easygosafaris.com]
Tea production in 2017 is expected to fall by at least 11 per cent as effects of drought take a toll on production of the export crop.Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) said tea production will drop from 473 million kilograms harvested in 2016 to about 420 million kilos this year.AFA chief executive Alfred Busolo, however, said the crop’s price at the international market is set to increase as a result of the drop in production.“In terms of volumes, we are going to register a decline in production, however, this will not have a big effect on earnings as we expect the prices to improve,” he told the press.Speaking on Thursday during the ongoing Third Tea Convention Workshop and Exhibition in Nairobi, Busolo said on average, tea prices will stand at Sh250 per kilogram which is slightly higher that Sh236 recorded last year.Tea production in 2016 hit a record high of 473 million kilograms - 18 per cent higher than the 399 million kilograms harvested in 2015.This is the highest production ever compared to other record outputs of 445 million kilograms in 2014 and 432 million kilos in 2013.Out of the record 473 kilos produced in 2016, small-scale farmers accounted for 265.6 million kilograms (56 percent) while the estate sub-sector produced 207.4 million kilograms (44 percent).Kericho County produced the highest number of kilos (93 million), while Bomet and Nandi Counties produces 72 million and 71 million kilograms respectively.