The Mountain Journal
The weekly tea market fetched Sh 1.8 billion for the smallholder tea factories managed by the KTDA following the auction of 5,020,323 kgs compared to Sh 1.58 billion last week.
In the Mombasa Tea Auction with 52 buyers, factories that achieved the premium prices are Mununga, Gathuthi, Kimunye, Rukuriri and Imenti, of between Sh428 per kg and Sh411 per kg, as the average price was pegged at Sh357 per kg.
In the analysis, factories that offered highest volumes are Mungania 141,720 kgs, Mununga 141,688kgs, Ngere 123,673 kgs, Kimunye 126,504 kgs, Makomboki 105,927 kgs, Ndima 104,767kgs among others.
Kapsara factory achieved the lowest price of 267 per kgs for each of its 36,098 kg at the auction.
KTDA Holding Board Members Enos Njeru and James Githinji of Embu and Murang’a, respectively, said there has been an increase in tea marketing following the impressive rain in various parts of the country.
Njeru, who represents Embu tea farmers, said farmers affiliated to Rukuriri, Kathangariri and Mungania factories in the weekly market performed better as they earned Sh 81.2 million, Sh16.2 million and Sh55.5 million, respectively
“In Embu, the farmers are under scrutiny to ensure they pluck as directed to ensure we achieve the best in the market,” said Njeru.
Githinji said the factories of Ngere, Gachagare, Makomboki and Njunu in Muranga county achieved the prices of Sh 403 per kg, Sh 401per kgs , Sh399 per kg and 387 per kgs respectively.
At the sametime the East Africa Tea Trade Association Managing Director, George Omuga, in a report, indicated that 9.7 million kgs were offered by five nations, as Kenya presented 8 million kgs, followed by Uganda 982,620 kgs, Rwanda 661,172 kgs, Tanzania 7,420 kgs, and Burundi 84,824 kgs.
The report indicates that the buyers bought 82.57 percent of the tea offered 28,920 packages remained unsold.
“In the buyers category, Omuga pointed that Global tea 1,363,429 kgs, KTDA owed Chai Trading 1,113,741 kgs, James Finlay 992,796 kgs, LAB International 762,544 kgs among others,” stated the report.
