The Russia – Ukraine war cut the tea exports to Russia by more than half a billion in March, highlighting the negative impact that the conflict has had on Kenya’s global trade.
Tea Board of Kenya says the earnings from tea exports to Russia declined by KSh598 million in March as volumes dropped 74% to 686,072 from 2.6 million kilos during the same period last year.
The regulator said tea buyers from Russia have not been active since the war between the two countries broke out on February 24.
The prices at the weekly Mombasa auction also felt the impact of war with a kilogram of tea fetching $2.59 in March, having declined from $2.73 in February and $2.68 in January.
Russia is Kenya’s fifth-largest buyer of tea in terms of volumes and the current standoff has seen it drop to position 11 in March, trailing emerging markets such as Nigeria, Poland, and Afghanistan.
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