I ka wā i hala aku nei, ua ʻoi aku ka pālua o ka hoʻopuka ʻana o ke kī honua (ʻaʻole i hoʻokomo ʻia i ka lāʻau lapaʻau), kahi i alakaʻi ai i ka ulu ʻana omīkini kīhāpai kīaʻeke kīhana ʻana. ʻOi aku ka nui o ka ulu ʻana o ke kī ʻeleʻele ma mua o ka ʻōmaʻomaʻo. ʻO ka hapa nui o kēia ulu ʻana mai nā ʻāina ʻo ʻAsia, mahalo i ka piʻi ʻana o ka ʻai i nā ʻāina hana. ʻOiai he nūhou maikaʻi kēia, ua manaʻo ʻo Ian Gibbs, ka luna o ka International Tea Council, ʻoiai ke piʻi aʻe nei ka hana ʻana, ua paʻa mau nā mea kūʻai aku.

Eia nō naʻe, hoʻopaʻapaʻa nā mea kākau ʻo kahi pilikia koʻikoʻi e hāʻawi ana i ka emi ʻana o ka ʻai ʻeleʻele, a ʻo ka mea i kūkākūkā ʻole ʻia ma kekahi o nā hui kīʻaha kīʻaha ʻAmelika ʻAmelika, ʻo ia ka piʻi ʻana o ke kūʻai ʻana i nā mea kanu. Mahalo ka poʻe kūʻai ʻōpio i nā waiwai i lawe ʻia e nā kī hua, nā kī ʻala a me nā kī ʻono i loko o nā pūʻulu kī maʻalahi. I ka wā maʻi maʻi Covid-19, ʻoi aku ka nui o ke kūʻai ʻana o ke kī, ʻoi aku ka "hoʻonui i ka pale ʻana," "hoʻomaha i ke kaumaha," a "kōkua i ka hoʻomaha a me ka mālie," i ka ʻimi ikaika ʻana o nā mea kūʻai aku a kūʻai aku i nā huahana kī hoʻoikaika kino. ʻO ka pilikia, ʻaʻole i loaʻa nā lau kī maoli i ka nui o kēia mau "tea", ʻoi aku ka hoʻomaha ʻana i ke kaumaha a me ka hoʻomaha ʻana. No laila, ʻoiai ʻo nā ʻoihana noiʻi mākeke honua e hoʻolaha nei i ka ulu ʻana o ka "ʻai kī" honua (ʻo ka ti ka lua o ka inu ʻai ʻia ma ka honua ma hope o ka wai), ʻike ʻia ka ulu ʻana he kī lāʻau, ʻaʻole maikaʻi no ka hana ʻeleʻele a ʻōmaʻomaʻo paha.

Eia hou, ua wehewehe ʻo McDowall i ka degere o ka mechanization omea paʻi kī a ʻoki pāke piʻi wikiwiki nei, akā hoʻohana nui ʻia ka mechanization no ka hana ʻana i ke kī haʻahaʻa, a ke alakaʻi nei ka mechanization i ka nele o nā limahana ʻohi kī. E hoʻomau paha nā mea hana nui i ka hoʻonui ʻana i ka mīkini, ʻoiai ʻaʻole hiki i nā mea liʻiliʻi ke kūʻai aku i ke kumukūʻai kiʻekiʻe o ka mīkini, ʻoki ʻia nā mea hana, a laila e haʻalele lākou i ke kī no nā mea kanu ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi e like me ka avocados, eucalyptus, etc.