MURANG’A, Kenya – Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe joined farmers and stakeholders at Gacharage Tea Factory in Murang’a County to celebrate International Tea Day 2025 under the theme “Empowering Farmers, Sustaining Livelihoods.”
Tea is the most popular drink in the world other than water. It beats out coffee and beer, which hold second and third place.
In his address, the CS indicated that the ruling Kenya Kwanza government is committed to revitalising the tea sector by lowering production costs through the national fertiliser subsidy, proposing tax reforms to promote value addition, supporting direct tea sales to increase farmer earnings, and establishing shared packaging facilities to help smallholder producers access global markets.
The CS also encouraged factories to embrace innovation, branding, and digital marketing to position Kenyan tea more competitively on the world stage.
Y News has established that the CS also applauded the dedication of tea farmers and all industry players for their role in sustaining livelihoods and strengthening Kenya’s global reputation for quality tea.
“Let us raise our cups of Kenyan tea to the farmers, to the future, and to a stronger, more sustainable industry.” CS Kagwe said.
Why the International Tea Day is observed
International Tea Day was observed on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, as declared by the United Nations. The day aims to promote sustainable tea production and consumption, recognising tea’s cultural and economic importance.
The UN adopted the resolution to commemorate International Tea Day on December 21, 2019. It’s a day to acknowledge tea’s significance globally and to encourage actions that support the tea industry’s sustainability.
🍵 Tea is more than a drink.It’s a global heritage of tradition and culture, a symbol of hospitality, and a source of livelihoods for millions of people.Join us for a tour of @FAO designated Globally Important #AgriculturalHeritage tea sites.#TeaDay #GIAHS
Y News understands that in many cultures, tea is significant. Tea is seen as a unifying and welcoming beverage, from Tibetan po cha to a traditional English breakfast drink.
Although its precise origins are unknown, the UN believes that tea originated in southwest China, northern Myanmar, and northeast India. Tea is one of the oldest drinks in the world; there is evidence that it was first drunk in China 5,000 years ago.
Across the globe, nearly all words for tea can be derived from the root words “cha” or “te.”
In many parts of South Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe, the word for tea is derived from cha.
What is the current global production of tea
Millions of people rely on the production and processing of tea to maintain their livelihoods, and the plant is often grown in tropical and subtropical regions.
Y News knows that China produces 48% of the world’s tea, according to the most recent data from the Tea and Coffee Trade Journal’s Global Tea Report. With 20% of global production, India is the second-largest producer, followed by Kenya (8%), Turkey (4%), and Sri Lanka (3%).
INTERNATIONAL TEA DAYCS Sen. @Mutahi__Kagwe has joined farmers and stakeholders at Gacharage Tea Factory in Murang’a County to celebrate the International Tea Day 2025 under the theme “Empowering Farmers, Sustaining Livelihoods.”
17 percent of the world’s tea is produced in the rest of the world.
According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), world tea consumption reached 6.5 million tonnes in 2022, growing from previous years.
FAO also showed that tea consumption expanded by 2% in 2022 compared with 2021 and further increased in 2023.
