"Over the last three years, KTDA has been doing research on how to increase tea sales here," the envoy said. The agency is also exploring ways of moving away from bulk sales to trade in value added tea products including green tea which is popular in Japan.
Other private firms have also formed partnerships with Japanese importers. James Finlay, for instance, has a partnership with Mitsui Noru, the largest tea importer in Japan. Together the two firms are producing ready to drink teas. Other companies like Ketepa are involved in a partnership to improve the packaging of its products to appeal to an international market.
Besides tea firms, Kenya Nut too has been promoting its Out-of-Africa brand of macadamia nuts. Kenya is the leading exporter of the nuts to Japan. "Cut flowers is probably our fastest growing export to Japan," Mr Awori said. According to him, the embassy is in talks with the Japanese External Trade Organisation (Jetro) which has been encouraging local companies to export their products to Japan.
The two countries are also in talks on how the Japanese travel market can be opened to Kenya Airways.
"We are working together to try and get the bilateral air services agreement signed," the envoy said.
Should the deal take off, the export of cut flowers is expected to grow as the time it takes to transport them will be drastically reduced.
Source: The Nation
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