- KTDA tea earned Ksh795M this week down from Ksh917.6M due to pruning
- Top prices Mununga Ksh450/kg East and Sombogo Ksh350.88/kg West
- Kenya led volumes but Rwanda topped prices at $3.05 vs Kenya’s $2.26/kg
Kenya’s tea has continued to dominate the Mombasa Tea Auction, with Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA)-managed factories selling produce worth Ksh795 million in the week after the sale of 2,308,232 kgs of made tea to 48 buyers.
The payment achieved by the factories in the week reflected a reduction compared to the previous income of Ksh917.6 million last week.
The quantity of tea at the auction has reduced owing to the tea pruning cycle that awaits application of fertiliser to facilitate increment of green leaf next year.
East of the Rift prices
The auction report outlines that in the East of the Rift, Mununga achieved a price of Ksh450 per kg, Rukuriri Ksh434 per kg, Githongo Ksh425 per kg, Gacharage Ksh423 per kg, Gathuthi Ksh421 per kg, Ngere Ksh417 per kg, Kathangariri Ksh411 per kg and Gitugi Ksh414 per kg, among other tea factories.
West Rift prices
In the West Rift, Sombogo tea factory took the lead as it achieved the price of Ksh350.88 per kg of made tea for its offer of 10,880 kgs, followed by Ogembo and Momul factories.
KTDA Chairman Enos Njeru said the tea industry in Kenya has continued to excel owing to the growers’ commitment towards supplying the factories with quality green leaf as recommended by the agriculture and nutrition experts.
Njeru said the arrival of the first consignment of the fertiliser will facilitate increased production and maintain quality once applied in the tea bushes.
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“We are positioning Kenya’s tea in the global arena through a spirited marketing strategy,” said Njeru.
Regional trade figures
East African Tea Trade Association (EATTA) Managing Director George Omuga said in the week, the East African countries offered 6,451,971 kgs of made tea for auction, where Kenya led with selling 4,529,302 kgs, Uganda 924,770 kgs, Rwanda 384,847 kgs, and Burundi 18,180 kgs.
He said in the market, the 48 buyers traded on 81,621 packages, as another 23,820 packages were not sold.
In the buyers category, the EATTA report outlined that Global Tea bought 1,143,760kgs, KTDA-owned Chai Trading 503,935kgs, LAB International 417,339kgs, James Finlay 330,429 kgs, among other companies.
The EATTA report further detailed that Rwanda tea continued to fetch better returns from the market of Ksh393.45 ($3.05), Kenya Ksh291.54 ($2.26), Burundi Ksh232.2 ($1.80), and Uganda Ksh166.41 ($1.29).
By our correspondent
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