The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has expressed its concern over low prices of tea globally. According to the organisation, small scale-farmers are the most affected because of the relatively low socio-economic returns associated with tea farming.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Willy Bett has a word with Food and agriculture Organizations senior officer Kaison Wang during the ongoing Tea science symposium at Enashipai resort in Naivasha. He expressed concern over tea price fluctuations in the world market. Pic by Antony Gitonga

This comes days after the Ministry of Agriculture announced that tea prices had dropped by 30 per cent due to a surplus in the market. This emerged at the end of the 22nd section of the FAO-IGG conference on tea held in Naivasha and attended by delegates from across the globe.

According to FAO representative in the meeting Kaison Wang, tea production by small-scale farmers was on the rise despite the price challenge. Kaison noted that green leaf prices were not sufficient to sustain the livelihood of farmers.

 —ANTONY GITONGA