Weekly tea auction down by 20 per cent, says report

Story by HELEN NYAMBURA-MWAURA Publication Date: 7/8/2008 A total 152.8 million kilogrammes of tea were sold through Kenya’s weekly auction in the first six months of 2008, a 21 per cent drop from the same period last year, a report by the Africa Tea Brokers showed Monday. Brokers said the drop followed a fall in tea production in Kenya, one of the world’s top growers of black tea. The east African country projects output in 2008 will decrease to 335 million kilogrammes from 369 million last year due to dry weather in growing areas. Over January-June 2007, the Mombasa-based auction sold 193.6 million kilogrammes. Total volumes It sells tea from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kenya contributes three quarters of the total volumes sold at the... [read full story]