Political crisis to impact Kenya’s tea industry
After weeks of unrest, resulting from a political power struggle between the incumbent Kibaki and the opposition leader Odinga, rioting and displacement across Kenya are taking their toll on its vital tea industry. With workers fleeing the plantations and disruptions in the transport system, the recent turmoil comes as a further blow to Kenyas tea industry, which already had to cope with crop failures caused by droughts in recent years. As the output of worlds largest tea exporter is set to be negatively affected in 2008, countries like India and Sri Lanka look to benefit from the shortfall to strengthen their exports.