Rwanda generated $114.8 million from tea exports in 2023/2024, representing an increase of 6.6 per cent compared to $107.7 million in the previous fiscal year, according to data The New Times got from National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB).

In terms of volume, the country exported more than 38,460 tonnes in 2023/2024, which is almost 1.4 per cent drop from more than 39,000 tonnes in the previous fiscal year.

Average price per a kilo was $2.98, up from $2.76 in the previous fiscal year, the data shows.

Here are top 10 importing nations of Rwanda’s tea in the financial year under review, based on the volume they purchased, as well as the average revenue generated for the country.

Data from NAEB shows that Rwanda’s tea was exported to 47 countries in different parts of the world in 2023/2024.

During the fiscal year under review, Pakistan leads the list as it bought more than 9,194 tonnes (almost 24 per cent of the total volume) for $27.5 million, on average.

It was followed by the United Kingdom, with over 5,669 tonnes (14.7 per cent of the total volume), which generated slightly more than $17 million.

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Other major buyers of the crop include Egypt with over 4,259 tonnes (11 per cent) for about $12.7 million; Kazakhstan with 3,996 tonnes (10.3 per cent) for $11.9 million (10.3 per cent, and Ireland with 3,352 tonnes (8.7 per cent) for $10 million (8.7 per cent).

Of the total quantity, 1,366 tonnes (3.5 per cent) went to United Arab Emirates, fetching around $4 million; 1,270 tonnes to Russia (3.3 per cent) for $3.8 million; 1,154 tonnes (3 per cent) to Sudan for some $3.4 million; 1,049 tonnes (2.7 per cent) to Turkey for $3 million; 823 tonnes (2.1 per cent) to India for $2.4 million.

The 2023/2024 annual report by the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), which was published on January 6, 2025, shows that despite the drop of 2 per cent in made (processed) tea production, to 40,003 tonnes from 40,874 tonnes in 2022/2023, the tea sector experienced an increase in revenue.

It attributed the drop to drought followed by severe rainstorms, which led to adverse conditions for tea cultivation.

Outlook, way forward

Looking ahead, strategies to mitigate the impact of climate variability, such as investing in climate-smart intervention and diversifying production practices, will be essential for sustaining growth in the tea sector, the report observed.

Under Rwanda’s Fifth Strategic Plan for Agriculture Transformation (PSTA 5) – which covers the 2024-2029 period, the country targets generating $175 million from exporting 58,600 tonnes of processed tea by 2029, according to data from NAEB.

To achieve this goal, Rwanda has initiatives to expand and revitalise the tea industry, as part of the country’s broader efforts to boost agricultural exports, it indicated, pointing out that nearly 40 million seedlings will be planted across 2,410 hectares as part of the expansion and infilling process over the next four years.

The tea expansion and infilling activities are scheduled to commence in October 2025 under an ongoing scheme to Promote Smallholder Agro-Export Competitiveness Project (PSAC), which was co-funded by the Government of Rwanda and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), it stated.

NAEB indicates that revenue from tea exports contributes to the country’s total agricultural revenue (which amounted to $839 million in 2023/2024 – meaning tea contributed over 13 per cent to the overall amount), while improving the lives of approximately 50,000 tea farmers organised into 23 cooperatives across the country.

Rwanda’s tea holds a record for fetching the highest prices at Mombasa tea auctions, in Kenya, outperforming brands from other regional countries, according to data from the East African Tea Trade Association (EATTA).

As per information from NAEB, Rwanda's black tea (referred to as CTC, which is the predominantly type of tea produced in the country) is considered among the best in the world, fetching premium prices either through direct contracts or auction market, due to good manufacturing practices.