National Agriculture Export Board (NAEB) has projected  tea export revenues to increase from $88M last year to $92m this year.

Rwanda’s tea exports for 2017 increased by 15 per cent compared to 2016 and is further expected to do better owing to increased brand promotional activities.

NAEB Tea Divison Manager Issa Nkurunziza said that Rwandan tea has been competitive on international markets.

"Rwanda’s tea stands out from its competitors due to its uniqueness in taste and appearance. This year we are targeting $92m from Rwandan tea exports” Nkurunziza said

He added that the tea consumption in Rwanda is fairly low adding that the challenge could be due to mindset among other factors.

Tea is currently grown on 26,897ha by 42,840 farmers across 12 districts.

Rwanda’s tea production has increased significantly over the years from 14,500 tonnes in 2000 to 25,128 tons in 2017.

Between July 2016 to June 2017, Rwanda fetched $74.5m after exporting 27, 824 metric tonnes of tea to 48 countries in Asia, Middle East, Africa and Europe.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw