To date their produce is being blended with green teas upon delivery to factories earning them about Sh15 per kilogramme.
A kilogramme of purple tea is sold at Sh1,957 compared to the average Sh280 that black tea fetches at Mombasa auction.
Farmers had expected to earn more from the purple tea variety due to favourable prices in the international market.
When a number of farmers shifted from green to purple tea in parts of Murang’a and Nyeri, they expected to reap better returns from the venture.
But to date their produce is being blended with green teas upon delivery to factories earning them about Sh15 per kilogramme.
Among those growing the variety are Robert Murimi on his Ndumanu farm in Karatina Nyeri County.
Mr Murimi has 1, 600 bushes that produce 20,000 kilogrammes annually.
“I planted the crop because we had been promised that it fetches up to Sh100 per kilogramme. But tea companies are buying small quantities to mix with the green varieties due to low local consumption,” he said adding that they pay the same amount of money for the two varieties.
A kilogramme of purple tea is sold at Sh1,957 compared to the average Sh280 that black tea fetches at Mombasa auction.
Farmers had expected to earn more from the purple tea variety due to favourable prices in the international market.
Currently, no factory has the capacity to process the tea because of low volumes produced by farmers who have taken up specialty teas that require dedicated lines of production.
Kenya Tea and Development Agency is yet to acquire the machinery that processes specialty teas.
KTDA chairman Peter Kanyago said they had requested the farmers not to plant purple tea as they have not found a market.
The only factory that processes purple tea and other specialties such as white tea and green tea is Kangaita factory in Kirinyaga County.
“We cannot be able to deliver our teas to Kangaita factory because we will have to cover long distances and for the fact the tea has to be delivered the same day it is picked,” said Mr Murimi.
