NAIROBI, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- The value of coffee exports from Kenya rose 17.4 percent in 2021 while tea earnings remained flat despite an increase in the quantity shipped out, the national statistician said in an economic report Friday.
The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) said the country exported coffee worth 26.1 billion shillings (about 229 million U.S. dollars) in 2021, up from 195 million dollars in 2020.
The quantity of coffee exported during the period stood at 37,477 metric tons (MT), a decrease from 43,386 MT in 2020, with the rise in earnings, indicating better prices in the global market that averaged 6.3 dollars, up from 5.9 dollars, according to KNBS.
KNBS said the earnings from tea stood at 1.15 billion dollars in 2021, a marginal rise from 1.14 billion dollars in 2020.
During the period, the quantity of tea the east African nation exported stood at 556,459 MT, down from 575,282 MT in 2020.
The Tea Board of Kenya attributed the declined production to unfavorable weather conditions experienced in the country for the better part of 2021.
Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Russia, Egypt and Sudan are Kenya's main markets.
For coffee, the east African nation is the fifth largest producer in Africa after Ethiopia, Uganda, Ivory Coast and Tanzania, according to the International Coffee Organization. ■