Irony of rising tea exports, shrinking gains for farmers

Workers pick tea on a farm. Middle East war affected shipping routes and re-export trade. [File, Standard]

Kenya may be shipping more tea to the world than ever before, but the growing export volumes are not translating into better returns for the small-scale farmers.

For a country that boasts to be the third leading tea producer globally, Sh12 a kilogram as bonus, no doubt, sounds like an insult to a small-scale farmer who believes he has had a good season.