The creation story in the biblical book of Genesis describes how God created heaven and earth, plants, animals and humans; and later how the first humans were cast out of the Garden of Eden as punishment for eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. I am very sure this was not a tea tree.
While tea is the world's most popular beverage after tap water, many of us really do not know tea beyond being a steaming beverage that we take mostly for breakfast and to keep us going during the day. We have all heard about disputes being settled over a cup of tea. Tea catalysed American independence. The Chinese believe tea has many health benefits, including curative properties.
Given the economic importance of tea to Kenya, especially to the rural economies where we have well more than five million people directly and indirectly depending on tea for a livelihood, it’s important to understand the role of key players in the industry.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development is responsible for creating an enabling environment for agricultural development; increasing productivity and output; improving market access and trade; and strengthening institutional capacity.
It does so through formulation, implementation and monitoring of agricultural legislations, regulations and policies; supporting agricultural research and promoting technology delivery, among others.
On the other hand, the Tea Board of Kenya (vide Tea Act 2020) is responsible for developing, promoting and regulating the development of the tea industry. This includes coordinating the activities of individuals and organisations within the industry.
The Fourth Schedule of the Constitution distributes functions between the national and county governments. Agriculture is a devolved function of the county governments while the national government oversees agricultural policy.
The county government are therefore responsible for extension services and on farm demonstrations; inspection and regulations; research; promoting farmer co-operatives and computerisation of value chains.
Many individuals, private companies and organisations play critical roles along the value chain. Farmers produce tea and coalesce around tea factories as large estates, independent companies or smallholder companies largely organised under KTDA.
Value creation from a quality perspective on the final tea product is harnessed here by ensuring quality green leaf is produced at the farms, delivered and processed at the factory. Marketing and sale of the final product also come into play.
Down the value chain are warehouses, which provide storage and therefore collateral management of the teas before sale transactions. Brokers offer quality analysis and valuation of the teas ahead of the weekly auctions. Buyers bid for the teas at the auction and export to overseas principals. All these and packers own East Africa Tea Trade Association, a company limited by guarantee and which runs the tea auctions.
In the history of the tea industry in Kenya, KTDA leadership has had a strong hand in driving most of the historical changes, including the management of tea factories by Africans, the establishment of the tea auction in Kenya, the use of paper sacks as opposed to wooden chests and growing of the current local tea packing capacities.
The industry is awaiting the next defining move by KTDA to overcome the challenges it faces currently. My prayer is that KTDA is strategising on the next move. We are all watching.