- Tea trading activity at the Mombasa auction rises as buyers take interest
- Smallholder factories record stronger earnings during the latest sale
- Regional teas continue to attract buyers at competitive prices
The Mombasa Tea Auction traded 6,213,733 kgs of made tea from four East African countries, with Kenya selling the largest consignment.
In a report, East African Tea Trade Association (EATTA) Managing Director George Omuga stated that the auction attracted 47 buyers. Kenya sold 5,063,608 kgs, followed by Uganda with 840,913 kgs, Rwanda with 259,377 kgs and Burundi with 49,835 kgs.
Omuga also reported that the market netted Ksh1,795,520,287.68 after the auction of 6.2 million kgs. This compares to 5,922,496 kgs of tea in the last week.
In the week, smallholder factories under Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) management auctioned 2,691,745 kgs, netting Ksh965,313,591. Last week, they earned Ksh914.4 million after selling 2.5 million kgs.
KTDA National Chairman Enos Njeru appreciated the prices achieved by the smallholder tea factories at the auction. He said this was owing to farmers plucking quality green leaf at the farm level.
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“In the week, owing to the little production, the teas fetched impressive prices, as the farmers are applying fertiliser in their tea bushes after they pruned in July,” said Njeru.
Meanwhile, Rwandese tea continued to attract the buyers, with a kilogramme bought at Ksh410.22 ($3.18). Kenya’s tea, on the other hand, fetched Ksh301.86 ($2.34) per kg.
Omuga explained that smallholder factories continued to fetch better prices in the KTDA category. Mununga achieved Ksh447.63 ($3.47) per kg, Gathuthi Ksh443.76 ($3.44) per kg and Rukuriri Ksh406.35 ($3.15) per kg.
In the buyers category, Global Tea bought 1,353,139 kgs, LAB International 638,152 kgs and Aditya Birla 480,717 kgs. They are among those who bought the large consignments at the auction.
By our respondent
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