- KTDA factories recorded lower earnings as tea volumes declined at the latest Mombasa auction.
- Githongo, Mununga and Kinoro led the price rankings among participating factories.
- Strong buyer participation offered some support amid changing auction volumes and regional price differences.
Factories run by the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) earned Ksh968.68 million at the latest Mombasa auction, down from Ksh1.09 billion the previous week.
They sold 2,511,437 kilogrammes of made tea at the Mombasa Tea Auction. A week earlier, the same group had moved 2,835,223 kilogrammes and collected Ksh1,086,258,987. Volumes therefore fell by 323,786 kilogrammes, or about 11 per cent, while revenue slid by roughly Ksh117.6 million.
Prices held up better than the totals suggest. Dividing earnings by volume gives an average of about Ksh385.7 per kilogramme, slightly above the roughly Ksh383.1 achieved in the earlier sale. Smaller offerings, rather than weaker prices, account for most of the drop.
Githongo factory led the price chart at Ksh442 per kilogramme ($3.43). Mununga followed at Ksh439, then Kinoro at Ksh437. Gacharage matched that figure, while Imenti secured Ksh436.
Not every Mt Kenya factory shared in those rates. Kanyenya-ini sold at Ksh380.55 ($2.95) per kilogramme, and Michimikuru at Ksh363.78 ($2.82).
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On volumes, Mununga offered the most tea at 102,924 kilogrammes. Rukuriri came next with 92,206 kilogrammes, according to the East Africa Tea Trade Association (EATTA).
KTDA Holdings Chairman Enos Njeru credited farmers’ discipline for the showing. He said growers in the Mt Kenya region have kept to recommended agricultural practices. That consistency, he added, keeps their teas in demand in both local and international markets.
EATTA Managing Director George Omuga gave a regional breakdown that puts those prices in perspective. Rwandan teas fetched Ksh441.18 ($3.42) per kilogramme across 191,000 kilogrammes, the best average of any origin. Kenya moved 4,858,850 kilogrammes at Ksh318.63 ($2.47). Burundi sold 25,168 kilogrammes at Ksh197.37 ($1.53), while Uganda sold 757,369 kilogrammes at Ksh171.57 ($1.33). KTDA factories’ average of about Ksh385.7 therefore sat well above the Kenyan average.
Buyers turned out in force, with 43 companies taking part. LAB International bought the most at 1,006,808 kilogrammes. Global Tea followed with 865,127 kilogrammes, then Mombasa Coffee with 574,346 and Mitchell Cotts with 509,321. Together, those four took about 2.96 million kilogrammes, roughly half of the 5.8 million kilogrammes sold across the four origins.
By corresponded
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